Preparing for tomorrow

Oration not being Imran Khans forte, he nevertheless exuded sincerity and commitment at his historic Minar-e-Pakistan display on 30 October, heralding that someone of reckoning had emerged on the political horizon of the country making headlines worldwide. One saw the political pundits who had been so far mentioning the Khan only in passing, suddenly making an about-turn in their analysis and billing him as consequential. Nawaz Sharif, in his partys sit-in outside the Parliament, had urged the people of Pakistan to rally around him in the manner they did during the long march, in order to bring down the inept, corrupt and self-seeking government. What he conveniently missed out is the fact that the success of that showdown owes itself to many factors, including the joint rally of PML-N, Tehrik-e-Insaaf and Jamaat-e-Islami, besides the all important lawyers community and its supporters, and, above all, the intervention of the armed forces chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Mian Brothers show of jubilation the following day was staged in the Punjab CM House ill-advisedly without Tehrik-e-Insaaf and Jamaat-e-Islami, reflecting a very self-centred approach of PML-N, his stubbornness missing out on bringing back to the party fold those very ranks prior to the opportune moment of 2008 elections, whom he is now belatedly wooing. Had he been flexible, the results would have been vastly different, with the remains of PML-Q buried long ago. On the other hand, Imran Khan, who is gradually gaining currency, is in danger of losing his head if he continues to ride high and does not chart out a course for all like-minded, honest and determined people wedded to the nationhood of Quaid-i-Azams Pakistan, to rally together to salvage a truly sovereign State of Pakistan from the present chaos. He has to journey beyond his peripheral achievements so far to get to the goal one likes to believe he has set for the nation much less for himself. Remember the day when forced to respond to the second time Indian nuclear detonations, Pakistan received universal acclaim from not just the Islamic world for becoming the first nuclear power amongst them, but from people of all oppressed nations across the globe who saw in the technologically superior Pakistani reply, a deterrent against powers pursuing hegemonic agenda against weaker countries. At that time in 1998, anyone anywhere in the world spotted to be a Pakistani, was held in esteem. But, after Musharrafs post-9/11 capitulation to Western pressure we are under today, the nation felt that we stabbed a Muslim neighbour in the back, acted as mercenaries and supporters of those who continued to regard Pakistan as a terrorism-breeding haven. And that is despite laying down thousands of precious lives. Our advice to Imran would be to try and build on what unites the people rather than what divides them. Pakistan has come to stay and shall God willing remain for ever, because in this land of Sufis and Saints, goodness still remains. It is his job to draw the silver lining into the open out of dormancy. One already notices some pristine notables joining his ranks, as are other like-minded patriots ready to join hands with the same end objectives as his. He should build on them and alienate none. One can count many names in virtually all political parties who belong to the proud Pakistan of tomorrow. The external enemy has partially succeeded in creating ethnic, sectarian and class cleavages among Pakistanis, but the brighter side of this apparent polarisation is that while it has provided an opportunity for some to reflect, it has also identified the enemy within. The divide today is clearly ideological, on the one hand, against whom detractors of Pakistans true foundations are working to confuse it with the theocracy of the mostly uninspiring often illiterate Mulla, and, on the other, the so-called liberals trying to force secularism down Pakistani throats building on the fast declining Western morality. These secular elements, though in minority, are quite vocal and abound what has come to be called the civil Society, largely comprising carefully programmed NGOs funded to influence and derail the impressionable generation through the media. For Imran Khan and Company, the challenge lies in not merely mustering support but to thwart and counter this sinister influence by also reaching out this warning to the masses in a virtual door-to-door campaign. No one doubts Khans sincerity and commitment but he needs to do the following to clinch the issue: 1. A sizable work force needs to be raised and fanned out across the country to unfold his manifesto and implementation plan at public meeting, to every household because public meetings will only supplement and help consolidate the gains of the actual outreach. 2. The popularity projections of various polls conducted so far placing Imran ahead of others are all urban based and can be very misleading in a society in which majority of the population lives in the rural areas. That is where he needs to concentrate. 3. Bhutto had behind him a political legacy and a measured performance during his stint in the Ayub government, plus the trauma of segregation of East Pakistan which weighed heavily on the minds of a shattered nation looking to hold on to any straw; hence the popular support. Imrans challenge is greater, as he has to galvanise a people in total disarray. 4. Since traditional biradari system in the rural areas will continue to matter, as seen during elections in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and by-polls in various constituencies across the country, an electoral alliance with like-minded parties would be inevitable, and one hopes Imran is chastened not to alienate anyone and keeps his options open, remembering that there are no angels including himself in any society. 5. In proving that his party truly stands for the people and democracy, not just by word of mouth but in deed, he needs to cast off the impression of being a one-man show and prove his democratic credentials. No revolution can be expected without a fair election, and nothing will change without ensuring an independent election commission appointed with the indulgence of the Supreme Court, the armed forces assisting it in conducting the polls process, and certainly not leaving it to the manoeuvrable local administration. The time to move the Supreme Court is now. The writer is a freelance columnist. Email: zaheerbhatti1@gmail.com