(STRAIGHT TALK)

On May 11, the people of Pakistan spoke with one voice, OUT WITH THE OLD. They proved that democracy can work even in this land of the Pak and the Pure and booted out the incompetent and corrupt government, dominated by PPP, the Feudal Lords and the rich and the powerful, who have been the Puppet Masters of our politics for the last six decades and voted “In’ the ‘failed twice’ Nawaz Sharif for the third time.
The voters, especially the educated youth, who were perhaps voting for the first time, backed Imran Khan and his PTI party and made it one of the leading parties in the country. The result might not have be the tsunami that the Great Khan had promised and expected, but after wandering in the barren deserts of Pakistan’s politics, the result was much better then the small trickle stream of the past.   
PPP, its leaders and senior party members had repeatedly taunted voters, that if they found the government to be corrupt and incompetent, then it should not vote for them in the coming elections. And this is exactly what they did. From the ‘Hot Favorite’ of the past, PPP fell to an ‘Also Ran’ position.
For the first time in its checkered political history, the party had gone into the election campaign without the Bhutto charisma to electrify the voters. Even the party’s TV campaign reflected its desperation, as it clutched at straws and the ghost of its past leaders, as an appeal for votes.
The party’s desperate attempt to launch the reluctant, young Bilawal Bhutto to infuse some life into the party, failed miserably and his words, that ‘Democracy is the best revenge’ must be haunting him, for they became a reality and led to the party’s humiliating defeat. Its lackluster election campaign had clearly indicated that the Party had thrown in the towel and had admitted defeat.
Today, many political analysts feel that this could be the ‘Twilight of the PPP Party’, as it drifts through the choppy and treacherous waters of Pakistan’s politics, without a captain or a rudder to steer it.
And with the Changing of the Guard, we are also witnessing a change in the dress code of our leaders and parliamentarians. Gone are the expensive Armani suits and ties and Bally shoes and in are the simple, but elegant Sherwanis and shoes that go with it.  
Now that the old is ‘Out’, what can we expect from the new government that has been sworn ‘In’? All the parliamentarians have vowed to uphold the Constitution and that no military intervention will be acceptable or allowed.
This, no doubt, is very commendable, but it would have been refreshing if an extra paragraph had been added in the oath taking ceremony, in which all elected members had taken an oath to eliminate corruption, nepotism, the VIP culture, luxury cars, scandalous ‘mercs and percs’ for themselves and all he other evils that go with bad governance.  
So the questions that arises are, will the ‘failed twice’ Nawaz Sharif, PTI and all the King’s Men and Horses, be able to put this Humpty Dumpty of a country, back onto the World Stage, where it can stand proudly in the League of Nations, as a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Nation?
Will the new government be able to remove the stigma of the Quaid’s country being referred to, as the most dangerous nation in the world and a breeding ground for terrorists?
Will it be able to stand up the challenges of the Hidden Hands and unite this splintered Nation and bring an end to the drone attacks, target killings and sectarian violence, the looming economic and power crisis and all the evil seeds that have been sown into our system of governance by the past corrupt and incompetent government?
Will Mr. Sharif take action against all those parliamentarians who have been elected to the National Assembly on false declarations and are loan defaulters and tax evaders or will he allow the NA to become the a stable of horses and mules of the past?
These are not easy questions to answer, as many past governments, both civil and military, including Mr. Nawaz Sharif’s own past two attempts, did not succeed in this ‘Mission Impossible’ and failed to unite the Nation and establish Good Governance through a clean, corruption free government.
Therefore, this is once again another defining moment for Pakistan and the last chance for Mr. Nawaz Sharif to establish Good Governance, the Rule of Law, bring an end to the killings in Karachi and load shedding and establish true democracy in the country.
Let us hope that, third time will be lucky for Mr Sharif and he will succeed and establish peace and stability in the city and introduce the Metro type Mass Transit System, as reported in the media, in the City of Lights and the economic back bone of the country. If he is successful in achieving this ‘Mission Impossible’ challenge, then he will earn the respect and esteem of the residents of this troubled city.
However, if he fails to fulfill his ‘Reach for the Moon’ promises, then he will not only be failing his party, but he will also be destroying the hopes and aspirations of the 180 citizens of Pakistan.   
The failure of this government to fulfill the Great Expectations of the Beloved Awam, could lead to country wide agitation, creating a serious law and order situation and we could once again hear the sound of bugle and witness the marching of the Yankee Doodles, whistling ‘When the Saints Come Marching In.’ to save the nation from the same old garbage?
NB: The wicked leaking of the O level papers has revealed how far and deep the tentacles of corruption have spread in society. The O level students are going through a traumatic experience at this tender age, as they have to sit for the exams again in ten days and have no books to study from, as they have been handed over to the school.
It is our moral obligation and duty, as elders, to unite on one platform and demand from the British and our own Government, a thorough investigation, so that those responsible for this cruel crime are exposed and punished.   
The writer can be reached at trust@helplinetrust.org