There is no way a Pakistani popular leader can be told what his representational flaws are. Who can tell Shahbaz Sharif that his rather tiresome style of singing Habib Jalib has run its course and arouses no emotion; that his wild flailing of arms across the bristling mikes in front of him is now nothing more than a boring pantomime. His accusations contained all the predictable charges against the PPP government and President Asif Ali Zardari: corruption; abysmal governance causing shortages of public amenities all over Pakistan; and slavery of the US.
Zardari’s hate-speech troubleshooter Babar Awan was on hand in Lahore to direct barbs at the flaws in Shahbaz Sharif’s own kingdom where he rules autocratically, using public funds and local government transport to do the party’s work. Governor Khosa pitched in too, accusing the Punjab government of abusing its authority at the rally, indicating the shape of things to come in the battle ahead which the PML-N firebrand Saad Rafiq says will reach its climax in December-January with a ‘Long March’ to Islamabad. The crowds thought Nawaz Sharif would be there at Bhaati Gate but he was out of the country, although he did address his own rally a couple of days ago where he railed against the president and the ruling party.
If there were two poles in the party — the hawks led by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the lone moderate Nawaz Sharif — that of Chaudhry Nisar won the day. This pole has fostered the development of the typical PML-N voter who was brought up on the reflex of the mid-term toppling of governments in the 1990s. Of course, one reason for this rally is to forestall the Senate elections that are scheduled for March 2012 and which could see the PPP gain a commanding lead in the upper house of parliament. To this end, Shahbaz Sharif, who seems to be in the camp opposing his elder brother, had been predicting a ‘bloody revolution’. The other factor which must have goaded the party to make its presence known to all and sundry must be the Imran Khan factor, with his rallies in Punjab increasingly gaining a large audience.
The rise of Imran Khan and his formerly rather amoebic party — people still don’t know who the man next to Imran Khan is — has startled the PML-N. While Shahbaz Sharif avoided reference to him in Lahore, Khan was busy attending a jirga in Islamabad protesting American drone attacks, endearing him to the anti-US establishment. Nawaz Sharif is anti-American too, but not as tough and rash as Khan. And agitation experts know that politics of Manichaean contrasts works far better with the common man. Khan’s right-wing pro-Taliban posture threatens to go down well with the pro-Taliban Sipah-e-Sahaba elements that the PML-N has been wooing. A word of support from North Waziristan may be all that is needed.
Surveys show that Nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader in the country, although he is a few notches down from his standing in the past. Shahbaz Sharif is next, followed by Imran Khan; but Zardari is plumbing the depths of unpopularity. This index is upset by the fact that Khan and Nawaz Sharif are going to damage each other at the polls whenever they take place. Hence the subliminal message is that the PML-N will accept an ouster of the PPP through non-electoral means. That will suit Khan too because then he will get into the ruling echelon on the basis of his increased street clout instead of the elections where he is not expected to do much more than improve his party’s standing in the country. After the All Parties Conference, this is the next instalment of political abdication in Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2011.
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Who is not corrupt in this country of pures.Your politicians your beaurocrats your media your religious leaders and your forces.We need a miracle.
@Ali Hasan: @saeed: You both made excellent arguments. I love a well-reasoned debate.
I wanted to add to your arguments that media and journalists who have obtained pecuniary benefits from major parties, of whom one is known to use strong-arm tactics to have their views upheld, denigrate Imran Khan because he is incorruptible. The media should be circumspect of all politicians, not just Imran Khan and PTI. I know many PTI members who are well educated, tax-paying, decent and honest citizens. Who were not born as politicians but have had successful careers. Even Imran Khan's detractors admit, i.e., Wikileaks, Musharraf and western media, that IK is honest, has integrity and is not a saleable commodity. Whereas all other politicians (it will fill a book to name each of them), generals (Durrani, Ayub, Zia, etc., Admiral Mansoor Haq, as CIA stooges) and judges (CJ's underwrote coup's and Dogar even went to the extent of making his daughter's admission to college a matter of influence) are all "men of straw" - using Churchill's language on the politicians of the subcontinent. IK in this respect is an exception. Editors and Journalists please note this; cite any politician who has funded a Hospital that works, ranks as one of the worlds best and offers exceptional treatment. Cite a private University in Pakistan, other than LUMS, that is self funded and established in the backwater of Pakistan for students in poorer parts of Pakistan, that has a curriculum that corresponds to that of a UK University. Both institutions benefit the public at large and not self serving schemes like the Taxi and Tractor schemes, or Benazir Income Support Programs that are channels for corruption and patronage. Give this man his due. He has leadership qualities; having built up a party that now challenges all others in the land, name me one Captain of Cricket who has brought home a winning trophy after Imran. All I see are cricketers going to jail in the UK and our politicians following them to jail in Pakistan. Finally, was it not ZAB who used foul language to start with; you have forgotten his use of "Khutta" referring to Ayub Khan who was the President of Pakistan at the time. Sad that our Editors forget who started use of bad language in politics?
Yes, Imran will be revolutionary for the decadent, status-quo, corrupt politicians who all call for revolution with foreign passports in their pockets.
This is the fake revolution. It is a distraction. It is a drama symbolizing passing the ball. Let me explain this as bluntly and simply as I can. Hopefully some of you will understand: Party A and Party B make a deal. Party A wins election. Party A sucks the country dry. People become unhappy and need a change. Party B kicks into gear pretending to be the voice of the people and simulating a revolution. Party A knows that it needs to pass on the baton so who else to pass it to than its under-the-blanket ally i.e: Party B. Party B wins election. Party B repeats the same process as Party A. Makes loads of dough. People become unhappy and need a change... and repeat. This is a ping pong game amongst the political mafia. This is what is happening. This is what has been happening. Wake up if you do not want this to happen in the future.
I know we all have our own personal problems to deal with but trust me these problems are never going to go away unless we fix the biggest problem.
The real currency my friends is not the dollar, the pound, the yen or the peso. It is the people. It is you. The value of a country and its representative entity (the chosen government) is dictated by the the head count controlled by that representative entity. External entities; some such san or some such sheikh, are not going to come down and speak to you personally. In fact it is impossible for them to worry about every individual in the country. They're going to speak to the representatives. If the corrupt representatives will keep on interfacing with external entities you can bet your life on the fact that you'd never see any of the relief funds, those scholarships or any other genuine help extended to our country, trickle down to the masses. Oh remember the rupees that should have been used to issue a state funded scholarship for your genius kid? Oops sorry they're used up to install gold faucets in the big mans mansion. But hey its not so bad he'll give you a yellow taxi to drive for 2 years. He'll make sure that you taste the luxuries of being a cabby and your kids.
To the brain washed masses, you serve a purpose for these so called representatives. You are like the gust of wind that is needed for a lift off on a glider. Once that is done, the glider has no need for a powerful gust / a revolution / or stick in your favorite analogy. The people who "think" they are part of the revolution aren't going anywhere. They were on the ground and they will be while the gilder flies the skies. Nothing is going to change for you. You'll still have your problem of electricity while the big man runs his house on a generator. You'll still have the problem of gas when the big man is eating out in sheraton. You'll still have the problem of roof when the big man is flying around in his air conditioned jet. Your kids are going to be sick and hungry when the big man's family is feasting on kfc, mcdonald and other crap.
These idiots who ride around on a honda cd 70, eating raja jani paans forming the bulk of these rallies and other such processions, You think they know jack about what the bigger picture is? These guys are none the wiser themselves yet they are controlled in such a way that they'd be sent out to convince even lesser educated, even more deprived people in smaller colonies. On voting day, biryani degs will be served to pull in poor people and steal their vote. Unfortunately, to a lot of our country wo/men the value of a vote is equivalent to a day's (if even a day) meal.
Please just this time, do not forget and do not forgive.
lolz.......... What kind of revolution is this where public funds and state machinery is being used to set up a giant bullet proof stage???....I mean why scared so much of death??... Be a leader, otherwise become a geedar!!!! :D
Firstly, if the common people of Pakistan ever found out what ever happened to Habib Jalib, May he rest in peace and why was this song ever written by him, they would be obliged to stone Mian brothers off their stage. Habib Jalib suffered most when they were ruling and he wrote this song for General Zia, who is the sole reason why Mian Nawaz is a politican today. I am quite sure, if Habib Jalib was alive today, he would have never allowed anyone from the Sharif family to come close to his song let alone sing it.
Secondly, the shameless sharifs fail to understand the complexity of zaradari's political meneverours. He already has ANP in Khyber pukthunwa, MQM and all the sindhi nationalist parties in Sindh and PML Q in balochistan and parts of punjab under his belt. Maulana Fazlur Rahman is merely friendly opposition, a two-faced opportunist. Imran Khan, criticises Mian Saab and zardari saab in the same fashion. I don't think he can ever forgive Mian Saab for the humiliation he had to face during Mian saab tenure as Prime Minister. Lets not forget, it was actually Mian saab who brought up the "Sita White" issue into Pakistani media.
Bottom line is, PML (N) stands alone with their face against the wall as not a single political party in Pakistan wants to join hands with them.
I cant understand this logic that PTI will damage PML N vote bank..as IK says are Pakistanis bhaid bakriaaa..that what ever you do they will vote for you..can some one give me answer where was this vote bank in 1997 election when PPP got only 18 seats...yes check it 18 seats only and that is from rural sindh..where was the vote bank you are talking about..PPP is finished..PPP only wants to spend this 5 years and get as muhc money in there pocket as after that they know they will not reach into power in center for the next 10 years...There is only one vote bank now and that is of PTI..from Khyber to Karachi from quetta to lahore...PTI will clean sweep the elections..and if the author does not know any one else from PTI other then IK then it is his problem..Nothing can stop this Revolution...and I have not seen in any part of the world a sitting government talking of revolution..
History of Pakistan is a proof that agitations against the government do not end in helping those wanting a change. Mostly it invites the army to interfere which does not serve the purpose. Agitation against AYub Khan resulted in Yahya Khan taking over the power. Same happened when demonstrations against ZA Bhutto tool place. Zia came in for '90 days' and remained in power for more than ten years, until that fateful air crash. Speaking against PPP government is in order, but it should not be over played. The language used by Shabaz Sharif was below the accepted norms of democracy. Perhaps he thinks that Bhutto family are used to get murdered any way and hence hanging reference was given. Only Nusrat Bhutto died a natural death. Shameful. Have the Sharif's not learned any lesson? Or are they being encouraged by those forces of dark clouds?