Who is the winner?

What Naya Pakistan needs

It’s been over a hundred days and the battle continues. Some of the players have grown stronger, some worn out. Yet, the match is not over. It’s still lingering on. While there had been a host of antics and feats available to public display during the dharnas, some to the amusement of public and some to their utter disappointment, the effects of these dharnas still remain greatly equivocal.

The questions are: Whether those who have staged these mammoth protests have become successful? Have those in power lost ground? Has it brought any paradigm shift in the polity of this nation? Has it, above all, brought any relief to the proverbial man on the street? Or his sufferings have merely added up? Whether a more substantial outcome could have been achieved? All these questions are still being discussed since their final answer is yet to come.

There are some people, like myself, who keep speaking about democracy. According to them, democracy, under no circumstances, should be harmed. Such people are fearful; fearful of the unknown. While one might doubt their ingenuity, they shouldn’t be aimlessly blamed for having proclivities for the status-quo.

It is also not necessary that all those who are in the favour of this supposedly huge wave of change, expected to sweep all the scum of the country away and clean the Aegean stables, stand against the status quo

Secondly, it is also not necessary that all those who are in the favour of this supposedly huge wave of change, expected to sweep all the scum of the country away and clean the Aegean stables, stand against the status quo. In one way, this supposed change is also an extension of the status-quo. But, that would be an entirely different discourse saved for a later day. However, it is hoped that something positive might turn out of it; and as they put it, “something is better than nothing”.

The political history of Pakistan has been haunted by many a man. Sometimes, the politicians destroyed the very foundations of our nascent democracy and sometimes the spectre of military regimes haunted the political landscape. Hence, politics has been the favourite sport of all alike. And due to such dirty games, people have harboured fears.

In this country, such fears are not unfounded. They have valid grounds. Moreover, when one listens to the people who keep raising the stakes of some non-political actors and strive to lend them space, one would grow weary. Why on earth is there the need to rush to the garrison for political solution and why should the people from intelligence agencies be the part of investigations into political matters? Haven’t they been found to play foul with the political process in the past? And why should the “umpire” raise his finger? Let it be decided by politicians and politicians alone.

Now, as was also questioned above, have the poor of this country benefited from all this dharna saga? Indeed, the poor have lost ground. The poor of this country could have gained much had the egos not been given preference over them. The situations which folded until very recently had brought the rulers to their knees. It would have been better if the situation was exploited by the azadi brigade. The electoral reforms could have been paced up, the reforms to strengthen election commission could have been agreed upon afresh, and effective investigation could have been ensured through dialogue.

However, the stubbornness to remove the head of the executive washed away the efforts of thousands of people who had gathered there. In the meantime, the dollar went up, business activities thawed and Karachi Stock Exchange hit a record low. Still more is expected in the near future. While one may agree that people have become politically more conscious, this consciousness and its nature could still be the subject of yet another debate.

The stubbornness to remove the head of the executive washed away the efforts of thousands of people who had gathered there. In the meantime, the dollar went up, business activities thawed and Karachi Stock Exchange hit a record low

Having said that, it would be an injustice if the positives of these protests are not brought to the fore, since, it is not an all-or-none phenomenon. This political campaigning has, undoubtedly, reinvigorated a passion in the nation. The people, especially youth, have become more politically aware. They are demanding their rights with a force to be reckoned with.

Women, statistically larger and hitherto apolitical segment of the society, seem to take more interest in political activities, which is a very healthy sign. This campaigning has instilled the confidence in people that a strong opposition, rather than a friendly one, exists to protect and safeguard their interests. Moreover, in the long run, it has offered a political alternative to the masses. A new hope, however fanciful it might be, has arisen.

For those who have been ruling for the last seven years after the last military regime had ended, it’s been a complete defeat. They are losing on a number of fronts. Politically, their popularity has taken a deep dive. And it seems very hard to recover from such a steep infamy. Its aftershocks are yet to be received by them.

From the standpoint of governance by both the ruling parties, it has been nothing more than a sham. In fact, mere slogans and empty rhetoric has been increasingly failing them. All the major issues of economy, energy, education and health have been left neglected. The ruling elites seem to be preoccupied with themselves more than their own country.

All these situations call for the solution of this deadlock then. The politicians from both sides must show the courage and let their egos shade away. Truly, it’s a time for a “Naya Pakistan”. But such a Pakistan needs dialogue and mature politics rather than the politics of chaos and anarchy.