A Pakistani Spring
Pakistani people must be commended for their ability to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat in difficult times.
The writer is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and currently teaches journalism at SZABIST in Karachi
Trust Pakistan to outclass the Arab Spring with its political courage, without the need to seek affirmation from the outside world. Staring down the most feared religious extremists in the world, the Pakistani people came out in record numbers on May 11, 2013 to cast their votes, despite credible threats indicating a violent disruption to the electoral process. It’s no surprise then that these elections mark the political coming of age for a generation that is beginning to take ownership of Pakistan’s future.
There are three reasons why this moment will be celebrated as an inflection point when Pakistan’s history is written at the end of the century. First, this moment has been 65 years in the making: the Pakistani people came together to vote for the first democratic transition between two elected governments but this wasn’t accomplished in a vacuum. In the last 10 years alone, the Pakistani people have fought for an independent judiciary, a free press and established a democratic system of governance. Despite the bumpy transition of power, the continuity of the democratic project in Pakistan is a stunning showcase of the giant leaps the much criticised Pakistani “system” is making on the right side of history.
Second, Pakistanis cut across ethnic, religious and class divisions to come out in strikingly large numbers to push for change through ballots instead of bullets. This is a good omen for the country. Once you’ve voted, there’s no going back to the days when you became politically indifferent during elections. Elderly men, pregnant women and disabled people waited patiently in long lines (not traditionally a Pakistani strength) and embraced the piercing summer heat to cast their votes. More than the short-term political dividends of mass electoral engagement, the twin voting tsunamis that materialised in these elections (the PTI and the PML-N) will ensure that people continue to vote in future elections. As a result, a broad cross section of the Pakistani population will begin to take political ownership of the country’s future and voice its opinion even between elections when they disagree with the direction in which the country is headed. Ultimately, this public accountability of governance will lead to a silent but impactful change in the way in which the country is ruled.
Third, rigging allegations by ordinary citizens, at polling stations, signals that the Pakistani people actually expected these elections to be largely free and fair. They weren’t benchmarking the “standards” of these elections versus previous Pakistani elections. Instead, they were benchmarking the transparency of their voting experience to the experience they believe they should have had at the voting booth. This is a significant change in expectations by the Pakistani people. Even more significantly, the citizens displayed remarkable political maturity in accepting the winning party’s mandate, even as they strongly challenged results in individual constituencies.
As I mentioned in my column two days before the elections, these elections represent the triumph of Pakistan at its best and they’re a testament to the quintessential Pakistan spirit: resilience, resourcefulness and determination.
It was the palpable sense of Pakistan’s future hanging in the balance “on my vote” that made these elections arguably the most successful and pivotal elections in the country’s history. If we were to assign a letter grade to Pakistan’s performance in these elections, a B+ would be a fair assessment given the now forgotten but troubled build up to these elections. For a nation that routinely struggles to prove to the world that it isn’t a failed state, a B+ exceeds expectations. In fact, it would be fair to argue that these elections serve as the final nail in the coffin for the “Pakistan is a failed state” narrative. Amidst the rush to form coalitions and governments, we must not forget to celebrate our unexpected success. The Pakistani people thoroughly deserve a pat on the back for their courage, resilience and their uncanny ability to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat to pleasantly surprise a world that had already written them off.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2013.
There are three reasons why this moment will be celebrated as an inflection point when Pakistan’s history is written at the end of the century. First, this moment has been 65 years in the making: the Pakistani people came together to vote for the first democratic transition between two elected governments but this wasn’t accomplished in a vacuum. In the last 10 years alone, the Pakistani people have fought for an independent judiciary, a free press and established a democratic system of governance. Despite the bumpy transition of power, the continuity of the democratic project in Pakistan is a stunning showcase of the giant leaps the much criticised Pakistani “system” is making on the right side of history.
Second, Pakistanis cut across ethnic, religious and class divisions to come out in strikingly large numbers to push for change through ballots instead of bullets. This is a good omen for the country. Once you’ve voted, there’s no going back to the days when you became politically indifferent during elections. Elderly men, pregnant women and disabled people waited patiently in long lines (not traditionally a Pakistani strength) and embraced the piercing summer heat to cast their votes. More than the short-term political dividends of mass electoral engagement, the twin voting tsunamis that materialised in these elections (the PTI and the PML-N) will ensure that people continue to vote in future elections. As a result, a broad cross section of the Pakistani population will begin to take political ownership of the country’s future and voice its opinion even between elections when they disagree with the direction in which the country is headed. Ultimately, this public accountability of governance will lead to a silent but impactful change in the way in which the country is ruled.
Third, rigging allegations by ordinary citizens, at polling stations, signals that the Pakistani people actually expected these elections to be largely free and fair. They weren’t benchmarking the “standards” of these elections versus previous Pakistani elections. Instead, they were benchmarking the transparency of their voting experience to the experience they believe they should have had at the voting booth. This is a significant change in expectations by the Pakistani people. Even more significantly, the citizens displayed remarkable political maturity in accepting the winning party’s mandate, even as they strongly challenged results in individual constituencies.
As I mentioned in my column two days before the elections, these elections represent the triumph of Pakistan at its best and they’re a testament to the quintessential Pakistan spirit: resilience, resourcefulness and determination.
It was the palpable sense of Pakistan’s future hanging in the balance “on my vote” that made these elections arguably the most successful and pivotal elections in the country’s history. If we were to assign a letter grade to Pakistan’s performance in these elections, a B+ would be a fair assessment given the now forgotten but troubled build up to these elections. For a nation that routinely struggles to prove to the world that it isn’t a failed state, a B+ exceeds expectations. In fact, it would be fair to argue that these elections serve as the final nail in the coffin for the “Pakistan is a failed state” narrative. Amidst the rush to form coalitions and governments, we must not forget to celebrate our unexpected success. The Pakistani people thoroughly deserve a pat on the back for their courage, resilience and their uncanny ability to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat to pleasantly surprise a world that had already written them off.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2013.