I sincerely hope that for the future of Pakistan the Left rises again.
KARACHI: This is with reference to Asad Rahim’s piece “Meraj to Mirza, the end of the party” (May 27) where the writer ponders upon the death of the Left in Pakistan. As outlandish as it may seem, but I think the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) might become the new Left. Its main economic slogan was the same as that of yesteryear PPP, to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state and its support base, which comprises educated, middle class youth, is generally liberal.
It remains to be seen in what way the party will evolve in its tenure in opposition at the centre and in government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa because it has never been forthright about its ideology and its alliances with the Jamaat-e-Islami and Imran Khan’s voting record does not enjoy a comfortable position with his own support base. I sincerely hope that for the future of Pakistan the Left rises again. I also hope that the PPP realises that getting elected requires more than the hollow slogans of Bhuttoism.
Ahsan Raza
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2013.
