The more things change

As the initial euphoria of Naya Pakistan withers away

The more things change, the more they stay the same – Alphonse Karr 1808-90.

The PTI carved its success trajectory on a wave of hope and change. Imran Khan’s charisma actualised the unthinkable. He emerged as a modern-day David pitted against veteran political Goliaths and clinched glory. Some say there was more to it – the murky, invisible hand that rocks the political cradle in Pakistan.

So, we, the masses, embraced change – the vision of ‘Naya Pakistan’ – like an elixir. With eight months in power, the PTI government has painstakingly transformed this elixir into a poisonous potion. Initial euphoria is over. Hopes have dwindled, if not completely extinguished. Lurking fears of uncertainty are fast transforming into deathly demons. Even bravado of the invincible Khan seems jaded. Romance, cultivated in the heat of the moment, seldom promises perceived dividends.

The Sahiwal tragedy still seeks redressal. Nishwa case fails to ruffle healthcare system. Periodic devaluation of rupee goes unabated. Prices of daily items are on a continuous spiral. The government proclaimed to ward off the exploitative IMF tentacles for good. And here we are. With a hurriedly cobbled-up team of financial wizards, we navigate through national fiscal policies and priorities. Things have stayed the same despite Himalayan claims of transformation.

Is this alarming? No. Haven’t we witnessed the same antics by successive governments in Pakistan? Have we forgotten Mahboob-ul-Haq, Sartaj Aziz, Shaukat Aziz, Ishaq Dar, and a host of others, brazenly flirting with these institutions? Only this time we expected something different – yet again.

But is this phenomenon of staying-the-same-kind-of-change restricted only to the PTI government? Interestingly, other players are more adept at it.

Raiwind household are veterans of this field. Winds are not so favourable for them as yet, otherwise their intent to sail through these murky waters to some hospitable retreat is too obvious. Their softened tones, the dwindling frequency of tweets by the royal daughter, and sidestepping from incessantly targeting establishment, send clear signals. The Sharifs have understood that the game is not new. They have to respectfully, even if grudgingly, tread the same course they were accustomed to traverse in the past. Novelty is detrimental: it can be fatal.

Fresh faces fail to inspire if they are unable to change a fossilised belief system. And we presumed that Bilawal would infuse new life in the tottering carcass of the PPP. We floundered again. The youthful politician is better than many simply because others are rotten. He talks sense but does not have the stature to outgrow his party’s political legacy tainted with dubious financial wrongdoings and inept governance.

Talking of changing political dynamics and PMLN-PPP understanding, the patterns are amazingly similar despite new set of circumstances. Let us recollect: Nawaz Sharif donning a lawyer’s attire and participating in SC proceedings during Memogate case; Zardari, bashing and threatening security establishment in his famous speech and Nawaz calling off a scheduled meeting between the two; the PPP backing Shehbaz for PAC chairmanship in parliament and finalising the contours of grand opposition alliance to throttle a shaky PTI government, and the PML-N overhauls its party hierarchy. Virtually the same patterns and outcomes have prevailed. Change is a mirage in the land of the pure.

Everybody knows this. Everybody says this: unless we – the masses – change, nothing will. So either we resolve to transform ourselves or be content with the way things are. We may even wait until our patience runs out. As it seems, we have plenty of reserves!

The writer holds a Master’s degree in Education Policy from the University of Rochester, New York, and is currently working in the higher education sector as Assistant Professor. He can be reached at [e-mail]