We in Islamabad are still reeling from all that we have witnessed in the last five days. It will, surely, take us a few days to regain our equilibrium and return to the mundane normalcy of our everyday lives. The biggest sit-in ever witnessed in the country on the main thoroughfare of the city for the longest time. The element of drama, the extreme positions, the fever pitches and disappointments, the fear of a showdown and, above all, the unveiling of the face of a determined yet peaceful Pakistan.
It is obviously not easy for those who control and play with the destiny of this country to reconcile to a forceful usurper who, horror of horrors, speaks about the basic issues of the common man. It has finally come home to roost that the vacuum and space created between the haves and the have-nots will be available to anyone to take advantage of, if those who want to lead us do not get their act together.
The unimaginably huge exercise has definitely succeeded in heightening awareness and expectations of both the voters and the contestants. Thank goodness the threat of the hidden hand in the shape of a military intervention was proven wrong as were all other hidden agendas.
So what is one to make of this? I went to meet and mingle with the participants of the dharna several times in these five days. They were extremely well organised; always polite and so many had brought small children, completely unafraid of the consequences.
The biggest surprise was that they did not consist of uneducated cult followers. They understood the importance of their mission and were able to convey to anyone, who got into conversation with them of what had motivated them to be there.
It could well be described as the face of the disenfranchised - a representation of those who yearn for betterment and opportunities and a rightful place under the sun, but realise that things are stacked against them because they did not have enough connections with the powerful.
The drivers of this march and sit-in were no hidden agendas, but the glaring lapses in governance in the last five years and the terrible looming possibility of another five years of the same.
There were many incidents of solidarity made by the ordinary residents of Islamabad. Everybody wanted to play host and provide some sort of succour to the so many guests from out of city. Many people brought food and water.
The best feature of this sit-in was that there was not a single incident of female harassment or discrimination and all participants as well as visitors felt equally safe.
If for nothing else, Dr Tahirul Qadri deserves marks for frightening and exposing the entire political spectrum of the land into huddling together on a war footing and saying they are united for democracy. They have never united this quickly for providing any relief to the common man.
The other religious leaders are particularly enraged with the Allama for stealing their thunder and being able to pull off the show with aplomb. It has also made them angry because Doctor Qadri spoke of interfaith harmony and about all citizens having equal rights despite being of minority faith, about Islam being peaceful and progressive.
Naturally, no politician could approve of anything that takes away his powers or harms his hold on it or his personal interests. It has become evidently clear that the forces of status quo unite and close ranks when they face a threat from any quarter, but never for the common good of the people.
It was a very despondent city on Wednesday night when uniform announcements from all quarters completely isolated Dr Qadri and there was credible information floating around of an impending action against him. So many of us spent that night tossing and turning, thinking of the thousands of women and children at risk particularly because we had also interacted with them and had seen their level of commitment. There were haunting visuals of authoritarian high-handedness and the possible violent fallout. The depression became worse when it started pouring heavily on Thursday morning and the weather turned hostile too.
 The roving Federal Minister for Interior kept changing his statements and trying everything from threats to cajoling to ridicule, but nothing worked in his favour in spite of all the authority his position gives him.
People still recall his behaviour on the day Benazir Bhutto was assassinated as her security in charge and just cannot take him seriously. By the time the curtain came down on the final act his role had been completely sidelined and he was not to be seen anywhere.
As the 3 pm deadline given by Dr Qadri approached on Thursday afternoon, we heard of an official delegation being sent to D- Chowk for negotiations with Dr Qadri on his four-point charter of demands. The rest, as they say, is history.
A lot of dissenting opinions could be heard in the uproar and the din that followed the agreement between Dr Qadri and the government inclusive of all its allies. Every opinion was given its due airing by the vigilant media. Whatever one may like to call it, the long march and sit-in episode has had a very positive impact on our still and stagnating political waters.
I think it has turned Pakistan around in so many ways. There has been an ample display of maturity among all those in government, in the media, among the protestors, among all shades of Pakistani opinion. There are no quick-fixes to our problems, but the thousands who protested peacefully for five days have proven that we can, if we display enough courage, try and arrest the rot.
It is a win for Pakistan and also a win for democracy. A new journey has begun and the year ahead is looking somewhat more hopeful. As the poet said:
“Kahan sai aya,
Kidhar gaya wo,
Ajeeb manoos sa ajnabi tha,
Mujey tau hairaan ker gaya wo!”
    The writer is a public relations and event management professional based in Islamabad.
    Email: tallatazim@yahoo.com
    Twitter: @tallatazim.