September 28, 2018
By Saeed Qureshi
If Pakistan Tehrik
Insaf (PTI) does not fulfil it pledges and agenda of reforms, it may have to
leave the power for three reasons. First, the opposition parties might launch a
nationwide agitation for the ouster of the PTI from power echelons. Secondly, there
could be turning of tables within the National Assembly if the majority of PTI
is overtaken by the other political parties. Such a possibility exists by
viewing the latest overtures of the two main political parties PPP and PMNL to
come together. It could as well be joined by Maulana Fazalur-Rehman, the
President of the Religious party, “Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam”. The third possibility
is the masses’ agitation if PTI doesn’t stand by its commitments of changing
Pakistan into a modern welfare state, with hallmarks of honesty and fair
play.
Imran Khan the
22nd elected Prime Minister of Pakistan with an overwhelming mandate offers a
great hope for a prosperous and modern Pakistan. He wants to erect and build a
new Pakistan on the pattern of the State of Medina that the Prophet of Islam,
Hazrat Muhammad founded after migrating from Mecca to Madina in 622 A.D., along
with his closest companion and the first Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr, who later also
had the honor of being his father-in-law.
On August 19, in
his inaugural victory speech, he spelled out his vision and heavily promising mandate
to restructure Pakistan and bring it in the comity of developed nations and
earn international support, respect and dignity for Pakistan. It would be
fruitful for the people of Pakistan to go through his charter of reforms and
ponder how groundbreaking and revolutionary these are.
His agenda for a
new Pakistan consists mainly 27 programs or reforms that are essentially
far-reaching and innovative. Even if a part of this agenda is
implemented, a new economically prosperous, truly democratic and stable
Pakistan is believed to emerge that may earn respect in the comity of nations
and have peaceful and friendly relations with neighbors mainly India, Iran and
Afghanistan.
While Prime
Minister Imran’s mission and mandate are noble and essential for the uplift of
Pakistan, one may wonder as to how, in a short span of five years, he would be
able to fashion Pakistan on the pattern of the Islamic State of Medina or
Khilafat-e-Rashida.
The example of Saudi Arabia is not relevant as it is a
monarchy while Pakistan is a democratic country where unlike Saudi tribal establishment,
the will and mandate of the people decide about the leadership. Here in
Pakistan, the government like Saudi Arabia cannot hang any one upside down till
the usurpers cough out the stolen money. In Pakistan, the decision making is carried
out with the will and support of the elected representatives, judiciary and the
people of Pakistan. As such, hanging upside down of countless people is simply impossible
and rather a barbaric tribal custom.
As such Information Minister, Fawad Hussain is living with a
mindset which doesn’t go along with the political and social culture of
Pakistan and its society and for that matter any civilized society. While
speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Fawad Hussain, the robust,
emotional, youthful, and hawkish Information Minister of the PTI government lashed
out at the opposition members and blatantly castigated some of the opposition members
as the dacoits. Loudly, and an in degrading tone, he accused the opposition leaders
most notably Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif for looting the national wealth
and depositing that money in the foreign banks.
By calling them swindlers, he suggested the most condign
punishment of public hangings to these people who are charged with decamping
with the national wealth of Pakistan and put that money in foreign banks. He informed
the august house that he would recommend to the prime minister Imran Khan to
follow the Saudi example by nabbing these corrupt looters and thugs to be
hanged upside down until they promise to bring back the stolen national wealth.
The overall reaction to Information Minister’s speech from
the prominent leaders of the main political parties namely PPP and PMNL was
stunning, Khurshid Shah, the National Assembly member from the PPP, rebutted
the charges of the Fawad Chaudhry in the strongest possible words. He called upon Fawad Chaudhry to apologize and
take back his sleazy words and shady allegations uttered on the floor of the
National Assembly against fellow politicians.
At the same time, the
house members from PPP and PMNL staged a walkout in protest against the sleazy
language and pile of allegations hulred by Fawad Chaudhry who has emerged a
diehard hawk on behalf of PTI. He is known for excelling in the distasteful art
of bitter and hard-hitting tongue lashing against the opponents of PTI and
Imran Khan. Apart from Fawad Chaudhry, the PTI chairman and newly elected prime
minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan too has a propensity and attitude of being
hawkish and for degrading and demeaning utterances against the political
opponents. His poignant opposition and rivalry are aimed at PMLN president Mian
Nawaz Sharif, followed by the stalwarts of the PPP including Asif Ali Zardari and
Maulana Fazlur Rehman: a noted religious yet political leader of Pakistan.
If that questionable and irrational statement has been given
for the peoples’ consumption then it is tantamount to outright hoodwinking,
chicanery and dishonesty. If not then it ought to be withdrawn and a public
apology should be tendered by the youthful yet goofy Information Minister.
As a matter of fact, the PTI won the 2018 general elections
on the basis of a full-blown campaigning of castigation and drumming up the colossal
corruption of his predecessors with PMNL and his family in the lead. This blame
game should have discontinued after the elections. Instead the PTI, its prime minister
and other leaders should have unfurled their construction agenda and launching
of the pile of the reforms to build a new Pakistan which they have been pledging
since the formation of PTI.
Now when they have the political power and clout, they
should focus on launching their grandiose program of rebuilding a new
developed, progressive economically strong Pakistan, besides, rebuilding
national institutions, creating an enlightened and prosperous society. After attaining power and forming the
government, the time for hurling accusations on the political opponents and
continuation of blame game is over. On the contrary they should invite other politicians
to join the PTI in the monumental task of building a new prosperous Pakistan
and creating an enlightened society, culture and traditions.
Yet as a matter of fact, the grandiose agenda that PTI professed
during the elections would take a long time in turning Pakistan from a poor,
backward and mismanaged country to a developed nation. Imran Khan is not a juggler
nor a magician to bring about radical changes and transformation in a short tenure
of five years. Pakistan is plagued with a plethora of grave diversity of problems
most notably poverty, degradation of life sectarianism, religious bigotry,
mismanagement of institutions, financial corruption and so on. It cannot be
brought in the fold of the developed nations merely by slogans and continuation
of blaming the predecessors. Now is the time to move ahead and produce results
by implementing the agenda that PTI has been dishing out all these years as the
political contender.
By selling scores of the vehicles and buffaloes being used in
the prime minister’s house by his predecessor Nawaz Sharif is a flimsy and funny
gesture. It is patently ridiculous and shouldn’t
be drummed up as a monumental breakthrough that would move Pakistan towards a moral
and fiscal zenith.
As earlier stated, Pakistan is beset with a host of most fundamental
and serious problems. As such, the superficial and flimsy announcements and
measures can be laughed at but cannot be taken as milestones for putting
Pakistan on the road to progress, prosperity, economic uplift, cultural
openness, religious freedom and renovating nation building institutions.
Also, every homeless Pakistani citizen cannot be provided a
house and clean water for every household. Absolute elimination of corruption
and moral crimes such as kidnappings, illicit sex, degrading of womenfolk and
children and building health institutes and schools and educational
institutions allover Pakistan and cleaning of the government departments of
corruption and the mismanagement in five years is simply a dream that might not
come true.
Even if these commendable tasks and laudable goals are to be
initiated, the support and cooperation of other political parties and national
institutions would be indispensable. The impression that Imran Kahn is dynamic
and an honest person is not helpful nor enough for the nation building and
putting bedeviled Pakistan onto a truly democratic course, militarily
robustness, economic prosperity and so one.
As a matter of fact, there is such a huge agenda and
countless pledges and commitment by the newly installed government of PTI with
Imran Khan as the prime minister, that it looks improbable that in a short
period of five years Pakistan would join the fold of developed and advanced
nations. It is an unrealistic notion that it would turn into a garden of bliss
and happiness. It is indeed, a long-drawn process and if PTI doesn’t return to
the power, their achievements and initiatives might be nullified by the new
government. It might not be possible, for instance to resolve all the
contentious issues with India and other countries during the tenure of PTI. Who
knows if PTI would stay in the saddle of power for five years or leave the throne
for other political party. The PTI and
its leaders may receive the same venomous propaganda blitz that it heaped on the
other political opponents all this time. However, a beginning can be made and a
course can be set out towards a better future for Pakistan as well as its
citizens.
The taste of the pudding is in its eating. If PTI fails in
realizing its dream, plans and pledges of rebuilding a prosperous, stable and
ecumenically viable and strong Pakistan, there is going to be a mayhem in
Pakistan. If PTI somehow fails to deliver on its pledges, then the opposition political
parties might bring the people in the streets and whip up agitational protest against
the incompetence of the PTI. It would a sort of return compliment of what PTI
has been doing against the PMNS establishment for a long period of time. That bizarre
situation might tempt or force the army to step in and there could be another
spell of military rule imposed on Pakistan. Thus, Pakistan would be back to
square one.
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