Do we even have a leader to vote for?

Dream speeches and jazba of young followers is more emotional than practical- parties,members,leaders are the same.

In my 20 years of life, I have never seen such a level of excitement amongst people to vote, especially when nothing has changed. The political parties are the same, their members are the same and the leaders are also the same.

Some of the parties contesting have already had the opportunity to rule Pakistan and their performance is there for all to see. The other two, supposedly the ‘underdogs’ and extensively branded as the ambassadors of the much-needed and labelled ‘inevitable’ change, don’t seem to be too promising either.

Former army chief Pervez Musharraf, who reigned the country for eight long years, which some may call a dictatorship, returns for many as the symbol of positive hope. And while there was high GDP growth and low inflation during his eight-year rule, should a person responsible for setting in motion the war on terror be considered a potential leader?

Finally, we have the Tsunami initiator, Mr Imran Khan. With all due respect, he almost nearly qualifies as a desperately-needed, educated president for Pakistan but even then, I am disappointed to say that he falls short of being a leader in the real sense.

Although the PTI has existed for a really long time, it has only managed to come to the fore in the last couple of years, mainly because of some big names, previously belonging to the PPP and the PML-N. Having a motto that assures the creation of a ‘Naya Pakistan’, and at the same time, being in talks with the JI and forming compromising alliances with Sheikh Rasheed, gives an impression that the party is still struggling and has a blurred vision.

The dream speeches and the ‘jazba’ of its young followers are more emotional than practical.

Considering the current state of the country, it is obvious that it will probably take another 10 years to get the nation up and running and hence, the potential leader needs to have a strong agenda which the PTI is lacking because what exactly constitutes a ‘Naya Pakistan’ remains a confusing mystery.

So, before we get all excited about making our share of contribution towards our beloved country and start religiously following our version of a deserving leader, we should really consider whether we even have what is called a real, strong, capable leader to vote for.