The tidal wave that Imran was talking about for some time, the one he said was gathering momentum somewhere hidden from the naked eye, rolled out for the first time at Minar-e-Pakistan last week. He did take all his deriders by surprise and kept the country glued to TV sets, as it watched the outpouring of his supporters in thousands and more thousands. It was festive. It was nationalistic. It was inclusive. Most importantly, it had a healing and positive quality that managed to shut up the cynics and persuaded them that Imran could not be wished away or discounted anymore. The call or will for change is the force behind this wave. Imran embodies a new direction that he has always talked about. People on all sides feel comfortable with him. The last guy, who was able to bridge the class divide in this manner, was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The promise of making people around the world look respectfully at the green passport and transforming our image is the chord that tugged at the hearts of a nation fed up of being the worlds favourite villain. Those who have been in positions of political power for the last 20 odd years are astounded at what is happening. Their comfort zones, along with their rhetoric, is eroding in front of their eyes. One can also imagine America, or the American establishment rather, becoming really uncomfortable with this popular support for independent policies. The American people, on the other hand, will acknowledge and appreciate the will for change among the Pakistani nation. Much as I think that Shahbaz Sharif has a sincerity of purpose in all that he does and the way that he does it, the new found anti-Zardari sloganeering is not cutting it. Simply, because you cannot be in government and opposition at the same time. People are viewing both the major parties as flip sides of the same coin, tried and tested, and with a lot of assets that remain out of the country. Just before leaving for China, Imrans comment that PTI can work with PML-N, if its leaders declare their assets, disappointed those who feel he would be compromised, if he took the support of any of the previously established parties. It is time to get organised for PTI. The answer does not lie in just accepting possible winning candidates into its fold. It lies in making and developing such sure-fire policies that they convince the electorate to vote for the proverbial 'khamba, if it gets the PTI ticket to contest. It also lies in searching for talented, untainted, altogether new people, with experience of management of issues and ideas and a passion for achievement. There are plenty of them around. Extremists of any shade should not be able to influence Imran, as essentially, we are not extremist in our national disposition. Given the slightest chance to education, Pakistanis can make their country become the most modern and progressive Muslim state, exactly as envisioned by its founding fathers. What I, on a personal level, have really enjoyed about the Minar-e-Pakistan jalsa, is the fact that it had the participation of women, apart from the youth, in a big way. The singing of the national anthem was such a perfect touch. Also, that it surprised the establishment as much as it did the established political players, especially those who are always accurately able to predict the number of seats each party is going to win and are thus able to enjoy all its hung status. One can almost feel the planning and the discussions or opinions going on behind closed doors. The new strategies that must have started to flow to counter the new menace and the funding that will now be made available to woo the voters. If I was the establishment, I would let things take their own course for a change and go with the flow. In my opinion, Imran embodies change whose time has arrived. Those who vote for him are going to do so because they know their goose is cooked with the present crop of leaders anyway, so they cannot do worse with Imran. This message is now crystal clear across the board in the length and breadth of Pakistan. Postscript: Begum Nusrat Bhutto passed away and there was a genuine appreciation of her, as a pillar of strength for the process of democracy in the country. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, I had a chance to assist Begum Bhutto in her office for a few months where two of my friends, Shama Aslam and Iffat Saleem were already working. We used to do her appointments and attend to her correspondence, as well as accompany her on her official visits. She was, probably, the most elegant first lady we have ever had. Involved fully with her family, as well as with the party, she remained down-to-earth with a great sense of doing the right thing. Life really dealt her a very difficult hand and it cannot be possible to imagine the tragedies that she had to endure. Her life and her contribution stand out on their own merit and do not really need odd titles like Mader-i-Jamhooriyat. I just do not understand why we feel it is absolutely necessary to bestow high sounding titles, which are a mouthful to say and are not needed by the person so bestowed. The writer is a public relations and event management professional based in Islamabad. Email: tallatazim@yahoo.com