With his majority now firmly established in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, let us now see Imran Khan reining in the Taliban.
LAHORE: Pakistan has just turned over a new leaf in its chequered political history. With an unprecedented 60 per cent voter turnout, one message has resonated across Pakistan, nay worldwide — regardless of its flaws, imperfections and inadequacies — the people of Pakistan still believe in democracy and they want it to continue. The unmistakable lessons from May 11 are:
1) The threats, intimidation, coercion and violence perpetrated by militant groups for more than a decade have failed to subdue the spirit of the nation. If Hakimullah Mehsud, Ayman alZawahiri, Malik Ishaq and their ilk have any conscience left, they must bury their heads in sand with shame. The mammoth turnout from Karachi to Fata, including the record number of female voters who showed up defying all pre-poll violence and threats of violence, should be enough of an insult and lesson for the militants to give up their vile ways.
2) Once in power, no party should ever take its popularity, mandate or sympathy vote for granted. Unless it delivers-through good governance, impartial accountability, keeps corruption under check, shows respect for institutions, and above all invests in populace, its fate may not be too different from that of the PPP — reduced from a national level to a local nonentity.
3) Since the majority in Pakistan only watch and listen than read or write, the predictions by a brand of so-called analysts and political gurus appearing in droves on electronic media could be quite misleading, if not widely off the mark. There was no tsunami — however, the PTI deserves credit for galvanising the people to vote.
4) The reconciliatory words expressed by Nawaz Sharif in his victory speech will have to be transformed into real substance. Hopefully, the PML-N’s leadership has now matured and will not be indiscreet or reckless as in the past. It must rise above petty politics to carry the entire nation along.
5) As the democratic evolutionary process unfolds, political parties will have to shun their militant wings, reach accommodation, show tolerance and accept the public verdict with grace — something that has been amiss this time.
6) For a variety of reasons, despite suffering marginalisation, female voters are conscious of their political rights. Their long queues in sweltering weather is proof of this.
7) The iconic image of the Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, casting his vote in uniform will remain etched in public memory. It is a novel addition in the annals of the country’s history.
And now, as the jubilation starts to dampen, the road ahead is rocky. For the PML-N, an immediate recovery from looming economic bankruptcy, review of foreign policy vis-a-vis the US, India, Afghanistan and Iran and tackling the twin menace of terrorism and energy crises are immediate challenges. With his majority now firmly established in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, let us now see Imran Khan reining in the Taliban, cutting down on drone strikes and administering a province bordering shaky Afghanistan, especially after the US withdrawal next year. With the disillusionment of the past five years behind us, let us now build a new Pakistan.
Muhammad Azam Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2013.
