NEW YORK:
With reference to the results of Pakistan’s general elections, we must all be cognisant of one fundamental fact: the people have spoken. Imran Khan and the PTI had rekindled the burning desire and hope in multitudes of millions, especially among the youth of Pakistan, to see a better system of governance, to see transparency in political dealings, to get rid of corruption, to have schools for our children, to have police that will actually enforce law and provide protection, and generally, for a better future.
The election results may have disappointed those among us aspiring for a better future, but they prove two points: 1) in a democratic vote, with all the flaws, this is what the people’s choice is, and we must bow to it, and work within the mandate given by the people; 2) given the results as they are, the PTI will have to work within a coalition, specifically in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to either prove that it is an effective, functional political party, or to prove that it cannot operate within the ground realities of Pakistan’s political framework. But, as part of the government, the PTI can maintain its high moral standards and set an example of how a conscientious political party can function within a flawed system and still hold its head high.
At the end of the day, those who feel that the results are flawed, they do truly represent the people’s will. This is where we stand today: all major political parties representing their respective provinces. Whether an effective and functioning federation can emerge out of this scenario remains to be seen.
Sohrab Karboy
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2013.
