Today in Islamabad

Khan will stand on that container and look down at thousands and thousands of people beneath a sea of party flags

Make no mistake: there will be a lot of people on Jinnah Avenue today. A lot. In many ways, the PTI jalsa in the federal capital will be a culmination of the series of public engagements that started from this very venue on May 11. The key question today though is: what next from here?

The last six months have rocked the politics of Pakistan out of its self-induced lethargy. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that more has changed in these months than in the years past. Some threshold has been crossed and once over this line, there is no going back. It is indeed a transformational moment that we are living through.

For all those who helped shape the events of the months past; and for all those who participated in them in one form or the other; let it be known that the edifice of old politics is now slowly crumbling. Yes, it may take a while to collapse in a heap, but the collapse itself is now inevitable.

But what of the collapse of the Sharif premiership? That was the stated goal of Imran Khan, and the target of the entire dharna politics, it seemed. And it is on this one point that the dharna scorecard is being hotly debated.

Herein lies the problem.

The long-term impact of what Khan has achieved through his dharna is clear to everyone except those who don’t want to face up to reality. Khan may have committed various blunders since the August 14 march, and he may have said many things that he should absolutely not have said atop the container, but there is no mistaking the fact that he has succeeded in transforming the way that a very large population of Pakistan now thinks about our country. Khan may not be a brilliant tactician, and he may not be a too-clever-by-half politician, but he has done something that political leaders smarter than him have failed to do: touch a genuine chord with the people. Call him naive, stubborn, hot-headed and detached, but Khan has impacted our politics like no other since Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

So the long-term impact of the dharna politics is well and truly embellished on our political landscape. But what about the immediate fallout? Would it be fair to say that Khan has failed to secure his stated goal of forcing Sharif’s resignation? Would it be correct to state that Khan has been left isolated and that he has done damage to himself, his party, and his cause by refusing to adapt to a changing situation? In essence, has Khan’s dharna failed in the immediate term?

The answer is yes. And no. Here’s how:

Khan has failed because Sharif has not resigned, and is unlikely to do so any time in the near future. He has failed because he latched himself to an unreasonable demand. He should not have done so. The demand was unreasonable on two counts: first, short of the military throwing Sharif out, there was no constitutional way of forcing him to step down. By pegging the success of the dharna on this one demand, Khan set himself for a fall. Second, even if the military had forced Sharif out — like it seemed imminent on the day of the PTV attack — it would have wrecked the system and Khan would have had to shoulder most of the blame. As long as Khan stays firm on the resignation demand, he will continue to be reminded that he has failed on his one-point agenda.

Khan has also failed because he will at some point need to wrap up the dharna and send the container home. By doing so, he may have to taste a slice of the humble pie. Did he, after all, not say he will sit alone in the container for a year if he has to until Sharif resigns? He has already stepped back a bit from his demand, but the final departure from D-Chowk will require less ambiguous words.

But Khan has had a resounding success in forcing Sharif to realise the requirements of his job: get the work done. Khan has also forced Sharif to understand that power and popularity cannot be taken for granted; and that there is a very large segment of the population that adores Khan and loathes Sharif. That has got to be a rude awakening to someone who is surrounded by cronies and sycophants at most times. Khan has reminded Sharif that he alone can bring out tens of thousands of people for him in different cities; that he commands a popularity few can imagine; and that he has the will, the ability, and the determination to change Pakistan forever.

Now, today, in Islamabad on Jinnah Avenue, has come a defining day. Khan will stand on that container braving the Islamabad chill and looking down on thousands and thousands of people beneath a sea of party flags. He will have their rapt attention, and that of the nation glued to their TV screens this Sunday evening. Khan will hold that mike, scan the crowd, clear his throat — and say…

What will he say only he knows. But what he should say is:

“I stand before you a victorious leader of a victorious party talking to a victorious nation. We have won. Now we shall consolidate our victory to ensure the ultimate and final death of this stinking status quo. We shall now make sure this electoral system is reformed so never ever are elections stolen in Pakistan again. With your support I promise you this reform will be completed in a transparent manner through the parliamentary committee and we shall not compromise till the reformed system is in place for the next elections. We believe this is an illegitimate government, but for the sake of stability, we will work within the system to ensure mid-term elections as soon as the electoral system is reformed. We will finish this dharna here, but our dharna for a new Pakistan will continue across the country. And so shall our struggle to make this a Pakistan that the Quaid-e-Azam would truly be proud of.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2014.

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