Each day TV channels din into our ears awam granting mandate to politicians. Interviews of selected awam are orchestrated on TV channels to convince us of genuine representatives of so called 18 crore awam. If we were to dispassionately analyse the composition of our awam, it would appear that 60 to 70 per cent of our awam lives in rural areas, out of which majority are illiterate and below poverty line. 20 per cent of awam comprises children below voting age. Again 50 per cent of awam are womenfolk who especially in rural areas are like bonded labour subservient to their masters, waderas and chaudhrys and whatnot.
As such it is a thin percentage that actually votes and then serious charges of rigging and bogus voting are repeated after every election, the party leaders, except a few, are virtually mini dictators against whom any who may declare independent views faces summary dismissal. As such it is a misnomer to call the election results as a reflection of awam’s wishes.
Unless and until drastic changes are made in the society in the field of education, economic prosperity or “falah”, we cannot expect genuine representatives to emerge.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore