The last hope

In a recent article on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fauzia Kasuri has expressed certain apprehensions and fears about the future of the party. She has claimed that this is primarily due to the PTI losing its ideological perspective and given some unrealistic examples of the party’s current state of affairs. The fact of the matter is that the PTI has become the biggest political force in the history of this country by mobilising people from all walks of life and showing them a way forward in their struggle to achieve a just and equitable society.

For this purpose the party had its doors wide open even for those who had espoused wrong ideologies but were willing to change by supporting the noble aims of PTI. Imran Khan who was and is the main inspiration behind this movement for change has shown consistently for 22 years the steely determination to lead the way for establishing justice in every aspect of our national life. In this difficult journey he has faced many ups and downs but has clung on to his principles which have been the main inspiration for millions all over the country. People have come into the party and left unable to fathom the intricacies and sensitivities of Pakistani politics as the PTI continues to fight on many fronts.

As Imran Khan says the true grit of an individual is tested when faced with a fight between good and evil. But the political narcissists always seek a way forward for themselves ignoring any ethics which may hinder their progress. Many senior members of the PTI were unable to continue the journey as their very egos could not be satisfied and virtually all of them ended up in political wilderness.

The dedication of loyal party workers has been the mainstay of party stability and the PTI can proudly say that for 22 years their dedication has been tested and proven. Many have dropped out of the race as their ambitions could not keep up with the politics of PTI.

Fauzia Kasuri, although not a founding member of the PTI, was given important assignments by the party for organising the women’s wing. During the party elections of 2013 she stood up for president of the women’s wing but her papers were rejected by the PTI parliamentary board because she was a dual national. This was the beginning of her frustration with the party and her subsequent attempts to seek the first position in the reserved list and then a Senate seat from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were also not successful. The latter being due to the fact that she was not from K-P. In addition to that she stayed away completely from the party’s landmark movement, ie, Dharna and opted for spending considerable time abroad.

It was from there onwards that she distanced herself from the party and became non-active. During this period she filtered out her resentment in the media and various other forums — actions which were against the party’s code of conduct. This broadened the distance between the party leadership and her and she started spending considerable time abroad.

At this critical juncture which the PTI has reached after more than two decades and poised to win the general elections it is sad to see such expressions of frustration based on half-truths as in her article. Criticism is fine but only if one makes an attempt or suggestion to address the problem. More often than not, our critics just look at one aspect of the problem and articulate it to damage the party or seek self-aggrandisement. There must be many more frustrated minds like Fauzia Kasuri but the fact remains that the PTI remains the only hope and perhaps the last hope for the future of this country.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2018.

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