Dr. Omar Khan, khanmomar@hotmail.com
25-4-13
Political awareness; and PTI
Out of many harmful legacies of 11 years long Zia era non
party elections of 1985 were probably the most damaging. His declared motive
was to help pious people get elected but actually he wanted to break the power
of politicians, political parties and political institutions. This created a
political class which wasn’t associated with any party or had any political stand
on economy, foreign policy or anything and focused on small matters Zia and his
coterie weren’t interested in. Local problems like streets and sewer along with
divisive factors like Baraderie and sect gained in importance. Moneyed people
and businessmen jumped in the empty playing field and invested heavily bribing
voters who understood the futility of these elections and decided to grab
whatever was offered. To make a workable govt of these nonpolitical politicians Zia opened the national coffers to oblige,
rather buy these elected representatives and open horse trading and auctions of
elected reps became an acceptable norm. Corruption was successfully installed
and elected reps after investing heavily in elections expected returns and
returns they got making them pliable to the Generals while discrediting
politics. Zia had achieved his goal,
It wasn’t always this bad in Pakistan rather Pakistan had a
dream start with elections. It took 24 years to hold the first general
elections and the results were amazing. Despite repeated derogatory allegations
of lack of awareness, Pakistani voters elected the most liberal and progressive
parties totally rejecting the extremists and backward looking political parties
despite enormous help from the military dominated govt. The 1970 general
elections were the only ones in which tribal/baraderi considerations were
practically finished. These were the only elections in which young, educated
middle class people not belonging to any dominant clan got elected. These results
were shocking to the power hungry generals who refused to accept the people’s
verdict and broke the country into two. Those times look so far and Zia
effectively back rolled this progress.
All these tumultuous events on our political horizon maligned
the word politics very badly. Honest, hardworking and educated Pakistanis
considered politics a dirty profession/pastime which dignified people stayed
away from. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter how much anyone avoids politics
because it follows everyone affecting all aspect of life. Political parties had
specific faces to offer with lack of education and scruples too evident. Grace
and dignity was near nonexistent among the political class and in Pakistani
parlance politics assumed the meaning of treachery while politician became
synonymous of slick. Nonpolitical claimants of power helped in this transition
for their own motives. Ultimately politics, the most important aspect of a
nation state became absolutely devoid of talented and capable people with values
and ethics. Naturally this put Pakistan on a retrogressive course with all the
undesirable image possible in the world.
In this scenario when Imran Khan jumped into politics he
became a target of ridicule for the veterans because he wanted to change the
established rules. Resignation, passivity and fatalism were dominant in our
society and conventional wisdom dictated that nothing will change here and
everything will stay the same. In the 1997 elections most of the political
workers belonged to a very certain personality type with certain vocabulary and
demeanor. One look of a discerning eye explained what most political workers
were looking for and more often that not it was monetary benefit. In addition
to greed, strange favors were also expected like help in police cases or
approach to influential quarters. If a certain candidate admitted his inability
to provide these favors he was ridiculed for his naïveté. This was the
political scene of Pakistan laboriously created to ensure crooks entry to
assemblies who would be pliable enough. No wonder our assemblies were full of
people of very dubious past.
All this looks so far away now as everything has changed.
The middle classes and the highly educated now form the backbone of political
workers class. They have certainly added a more than certain amount of dignity
in politics. Average age has also gone down substantially and young, energetic
and idealistic workers are seen working tirelessly. Youth, apart from other
benefits still harbors some ideals, this society kills so effectively upon
facing the reality at later age. These workers are hardly demanding and
thanklessly donating themselves or raising money through their own resources.
Educated middle classes now make a substantial part of
political rallies actively participating in canvassing.
The biggest surprise development has been the participation
of women in Pakistani politics. Now we see highly educated women of all ages
and classes, fully aware politically, attending rallies and actively participating
in the political process. The 50% Pakistanis sidelined for too long are
enjoying their rights and fulfilling their duties.
Whole of South Asia along with Pakistan are suffering from
dynastic politics and certain families are considered privileged or loyal
classes. PPP, the biggest political party of Pakistan’s leadership transferred
on a deceased leader’s will to an underage child making the party look like a
personal property. By holding true intraparty elections Imran Khan and PTI has
effectively controlled if not outright finished nepotism and dynastic politics.
The ticket refusal to cousin and brother in law confirmed the dawn of new era.
Other parties who were comfortable with the old dynastic politics are getting
pressurized by their workers and would have to hold fair intraparty elections
whether they like it or not.
After going through turbulent decades and seeing no hope
with the system that put them in these problems the educated classes have
decided to take their future in their own hands. A crop of pseudo intellectuals
had been preaching wait for a messiah to solve their problems but this policy
has finally become obsolete. Talented Pakistanis of an earlier generation used
to dream about migrating to another country as an escape but that option has
become nearly outdated. They have
finally realized it is their life, their country and their future that is at
stake and they can’t afford to leave it to politicians of questionable talent,
class and scruples. Too much is at stake to avoid it.
This is finally putting the mother of all institutions, the
political class and politics, in right hands. At last the ill effects of dark
Zia era are subsiding. Politics has shed its stigma and is no more a socially
unacceptable field. We see educated, successful and polished people in our
political horizon. Pakistani women and youth are the most active and
enlightened in the Islamic world. Pakistan is getting in right hands heading in
the right direction. We have all the reasons to be optimistic about its future.
