The youth of Pakistan, being a significant part of the population, could prove to be a significant factor in the upcoming elections. This places a burden on them to educate themselves about political parties and to choose their affiliation carefully.
Many youngsters join a political party and head towards their rally whether they understand its policies or not. The PTI is one such party. It is gathering a lot o fpublic support but it is yet to announce how it is going to bring about the change that it talks about? Many of the youngsters joining PTI were kids when Nawaz Sharif came into power in 1997 and don’t understand the dynamic of Nawaz Sharif’s politics, yet they criticise him.
If Imran Khan has no concrete policy, then why does the youth flock towards his rallies? Do they go there to have a good time and enjoy the music and festivities? Or do they go there because they believe in change. It is true that his rhetoric exercises a great pull on the youth. But because of his vague populist rhetoric, people believe of him what they want to believe and project their hopes onto him.
Technically speaking, there is no comparison between Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan. Nawaz Sharif is an experienced and seasoned politician with better knowledge of running a state whereas Khan is politically naïve and inexperienced. Will it be right to compare a leader who was exiled from his country by a dictator with the other who was sitting along with that dictator and is now thinking of forming an alliance with him?
Nawaz Sharif might not be a perfect leader but he has learnt his lessons. He showed his concern for the people of Pakistan when he came out for the restoration of the judiciary. Many in Nawaz Sharif’s teams are those who fought against the dictator and were subjected to hardships. On the other hand, Imran Khan’s team comprises of many people from Musharraf’s teams. Is it so easy to forget the Lal Masjid issue, the Bugti murder and many other issues of the Musharraf regime and vote for the people who supported these actions just because they are now with Imran Khan?
The youth should seriously consider the flaws of each leader before voting rather than being swept away by the tide of populism.
MAJID TAIMOOR
Lahore