Analysis: Getting here was quite a ride

PPP government's greatest service to democracy is that it survived, ensuring that democracy itself survives.

KARACHI:

Clichés are only clichés because they are repeated so often. And they are repeated so often because they are so often true. Thus, to call this election ‘landmark’ and ‘historic’ may be absolutely clichéd, but it is also absolutely true.

Getting here was quite a ride; it was full of pain, bitterness and thwarted hopes but along with all the despair is also a faith that simply refuses to die.

I say this because not since 1988 have I seen this level of political awareness among the people. From the dhaba where I have my tea, to corporate boardrooms and every place in between there is palpable evidence that the people of Pakistan are invested in their future, and are convinced that they can change it for the better. Pakistanis who were never interested in politics are canvassing on the streets. Those who had pledged to never return are back just to cast their votes. The change we have so longed is already here, no matter who wins the elections.

For the PPP, it is past time to realise that one cannot campaign on slogans alone. To give credit to the PPP government, its greatest service to democracy is that it survived, ensuring that democracy itself survives. If it must now sacrifice itself on that very altar it is indeed for the greatest good, and for the good of the party itself.

A stint away from the helm will give the party a chance to rediscover itself and identify those responsible for its very real decline. Perhaps in 2018 we may see a revived and rejuvenated party emerge. Certainly, it has ensured that whoever comes in will have a solid constitutional framework to build on. For that, it deserves respect and recognition.

To the PML-N, you fought well, and when compared to the other provinces, your government stood out. The development, however lopsided, is laudable as was the energy of your campaign. Whatever comes, I pray that your new maturity translates into a will to build Pakistan not just through massive projects but also in a way that benefits the man on the street. By and large, you have been a positive force for democracy and deserve credit for not crashing the system, despite many opportunities to do so.

For the PTI, you have truly been a breath of fresh air in the smoke-filled room of Pakistani politics. You managed to infuse the apolitical millions with a new spirit and have offered that most fragile of all commodities: hope. Whatever May 12th brings, do not despair. Do not lose hope. And most of all, do not disappoint those who have pledged themselves to you, trolls and all.

To the ANP, a red salute. No one suffered like you did, no one paid such a high price. I only wish you could have prevailed upon your allies to do the right thing when the time was right for action.

To the MQM, credit for, more often than not, saying the right things and for standing for what is for the most part a progressive agenda. But also a qualification: the people who support you deserve peace and security. Don’t punish them when someone attacks you; that only plays into the hands of those who would see you fall. You are capable of greatness, and if you reach out there will be millions who will never let you down. That’s a promise.

To the TTP, we know that military means alone will never crush you. But know that you have already lost. For every one person you slaughter, hundreds will rise against you. For every candidate you kill, an entire party will unite against you. And every ink-stained thumb will be a bullet in your dark heart. We know that it is democracy and Pakistan itself that is your final target; and it is democracy and Pakistan that will destroy you in the end.

Democrats will come and go; some will be killed, others simply voted out and discarded. But democracy shall live on, and so will we. Here’s to new beginnings.

‘Fight not with monsters, lest ye become a monster yourself...and know that when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares also into you’ - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

‘Give a man enough rope and he will hang himself’ - Proverb

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2013.