All winds moving in opposing directions
…the government has been busy in dealing with, on one hand, the power crisis (political), and the power crisis (energy) on the other. Since taking office, the PM and his league have been facing off with these 2 major issues, and trying to prioritize any one of the two has been a main challenge for the government.
Democracy in Pakistan, since forever, appears to have been in a complicated relationship with stability. This time, with the PTI’s Raiwand March round the corner, democracy’s stability is once again under question mark, giving rise to wild speculations regarding its ambiguous future. The irony is that all stakeholders claiming to be the upholders of democracy, at the end of the day, are the ones jeopardising it.
Khan and PTI: Option C
Post general elections 2013, Imran Khan and his PTI emerged on the national political stage not only as a recognised political power, but also as a long awaited Option C (after PML-N and PPP) for the nation, especially to the 60pc youth that apparently had lost hope in the country’s political system. An iconic figure in the world of cricket, and a selfless philanthropist, Khan has always been seen as one giving back to the nation. Despite having such persona, Khan took 17 long years to reach the surface of the political ocean, and appears to be breathing now. Committed to upholding democratic values, and putting an end to corruption, injustice, lawlessness, and poor governance, Khan and his PTI, for many, is the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
But has the emergence of PTI as a mainstream political party been backed by the attainment of political maturity? While addressing this question, one finds many contradictions in Khan’s claims to transparency and putting an end to corruption, and his actions.
As Khan gained political recognition, numerous political giants got onboard PTI’s ship, pledging their support for change, and a new Pakistan. With this, many senior members of PTI experienced Khan’s ignorance towards their long, loyal and consistent journey with the party, and his favoritism towards those very figures that were integral parts of previous regimes that Khan blamed for all evil, and revolted against. Khan’s inclination towards the newcomers is evident from the appointments he has made, not only in PTI, but in the KP provincial government as well.
Raiwand March is certainly not the first challenge of its kind, rather the government has previously faced off with PTI’s Dharna at D-Chowk, Islamabad which later dispersed amicably.
Till date many have left this movement for change, blaming Khan of taking a U-turn on not only their sacrifices, but his stand against corruption. Separation of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was a political setback to both, PTI and Khan, as Hashmi revealed his principal differences with Khan. Khan has also been seen to take a dictatorial approach, as evident by the suspension of Juistice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed’s membership in 2015. Apparently discussions are not the norm in PTI, it is all a one man show!
The KP government’s performance has also proved to be a hurdle in fulfillment of tall claims by PTI. The promised change yet remains a dream far from reality in the war torn province. While some work has been done which is a good sign, the 90-day claim PTI made so confidently seems to have evaporated in thin air.
Despite all these odds against him, Khan is still focused on putting the Sharifs out of power, and is converging all his energies and political resources to mobilise public against the present government, reiterating his claim of putting an end to corruption in the country. The question is, if Khan can achieve this by the very old wine in his new bottle? Bringing about the promised change certainly requires a lot more than just words, and querulous behavior.
The power crisis vs the power crisis
Contrary to the aforementioned, the government has been busy in dealing with, on one hand, the power crisis (political), and the power crisis (energy) on the other. Since taking office, the PM and his league have been facing off with these two major issues, and trying to prioritise any one of the two has been a main challenge for the government.
Opposed to the tall claims of the government to resolve the energy crisis in the country, the evil of load shedding still haunts the government and the nation with its presence. However, as compared to the previous years, there is a visible abatement in the duration of load shedding for which the government deserves credit, not to forget that it still needs to roll up its sleeves as there is a lot more to be done to resolve the energy crisis fully. To add numbers, load shedding in Lahore has gone down from a whopping 12 hours to six hours.
This mission seems impossible by the end of 2016 though, as this is not the only challenge the government is faced with, infect there is an even bigger power crisis for the government to handle; i.e. the political power crisis.
PTI and its junoon has been a nightmare for the government, and continue to keep itself on top of the government’s priority list of challenges. Raiwand March is certainly not the first challenge of its kind, rather the government has previously faced off with PTI’s Dharna at D-Chowk, Islamabad which later dispersed amicably.
With the Raiwand March at the door step, it will be interesting to see if the government can still deliver on its commitment to resolve the energy crisis by November 2016, along with containing the PTI from derailing democracy. The finish line for the government in 2018 is still far to come.
The “Advocate” Opposition
The opposition in Pakistan, other than PTI, appears to be a sister concern of the sitting government. A strong opposition, which is an integral part of democracy in any society, is and has always been missing in our system. Instead of ensuring that the government remains on the right track, the opposition seems more interested in playing the role of attorney general, and defends the government in cover of saving democracy and democratic institutions.
Opposition for the sake of opposition is the order of the day. The opposition’s interest in maintaining the status quo reiterates securing its own associated vested interests rather than pursuing national interests and persuading the government to do so as well.
No democracy in the world has matured in the absence of a strong and sensible opposition. For our democracy to strengthen and flourish, it is mandatory for the opposition to move a step forward, and work towards national interests rather than any other.
No matter what the circumstances, the government, the PTI, and the rest of opposition must ensure that they take up the role of three musketeers, rather than becoming the three stooges. Democracy must prevail, and Pakistan must always come first.
