Victory at last, Junoon breaks open the road to change. Waking up to the news of the election results of the 2018 general elections I felt that a change in Pakistan was not something that was to arrive, but the sense of living in a country that had for the first time experienced free and transparent elections without the interference of local goons and political parties who wanted to rig the election to their absolute favour in their particular constituencies in order to make it into the national and provincial legislature.
Their failure to do so paved way for a new trend in Pakistan which was never seen before. People in almost 45 percent of the constituencies voted massively in favour of Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) despite all of the negative propaganda in favour of his opponents, and against his personality especially his past life as a cricketer and his failed marriages and many other not to be mentioned details of his personal life spread by his former wife Reham Khan’s book. Which was originally written to expose his alleged “lifestyle” and prove to the mass audience that he was someone not morally sound to be elected As the Prime Minister.
These measures however with careful planning from the party’s leadership besides these allegations had no acceptance among Pakistan’s general population paved the way for the just witnessed landslide. Imran Khan scored a victory which had never been seen before in Pakistan’s bleak past which was either dominated with Iron fist military rulers or politicians who belonged to influential feudal dynasties. They collectively prevented the voice of the common populace for greater change improvement of health and education services which have depleted over the years by continuous and merciless corruption, misuse and lack of interest from ruling parties.
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The landslide and the victory was not achieved on the basis of few election strategies implemented for the current concluded elections; rather it was a logical fruit of years rather decades of single minded struggle against the corruption and repeated incidence of dynastic rule which was more or less accepted meekly by the Pakistani voter for all practical purposes. Imran Khan was a novice when he launched politics in 1996. To sweep any immediate elections was a naïve possibility. Years of military rule during the Musharraf era did gave him a resting cum relaxing time to rethink his strategy.
It would not be out of context to say that the years between 2008 and 2013 when the PPP government was in power, the stances taken by Imran Khan paid well. In October 2011 it was one of his campaigns against the corruption and a rally in Lahore which set the stage for the new political development for his party. Though in 2013 he was not able to translate the same; his government formation in KPK did provided him with the platform to see for himself the implementation of his program in a practical environment. As the repeat possibility of formation of government in KPK illustrates that the experiment was successful; the same infact replicated for the countrywide level; a countrywide vote of confidence demonstrated that the people were ready to accept his world view; even if it a gamble or a chance taken by the electorate.
It was in stark contrast to what was already being offered; as one observes the two defeated “old guard” parties always oriented their politics around a “victim” narrative in which ones political party tribe, cast and ethnicity is portrayed in a bleak, terrorised and oppressed state; whether it was PPP or PMLN. Victimization by the establishment was the best prescription which could be sold to the common man each times elections were held; to cheat him once more.
Due to this false concept modelled around fear mongering for decades; financial fraud, corruption and a criminal syndicate like mafia functioned under the local leaders of political parties delivering zero on their false promises continued to flourish all over the country. It was a state of affairs which could be authenticated with major indicators debacles, in fact as statistics prove the situation went from bad to worse after each consecutive year with more inflation, unemployment and a general sense of cynicism among the people of the country over their plight.
All of this eventually translated into the trend to support a reformist if not a revolutionary; a happening which we saw during the election campaign, local leaders having roots stretching decades in their respective constituencies were shamed, booed and even violently reprimanded by their former supporters who aspire greater transparency. The best example being, how Bilawal Bhutto the grandson of the famed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the founder of the PPP, whose name is still blindly worshipped by his supporters in Sindh was not only given the coldest of receptions when he arrived in Lyari an old PPP stronghold in the heart of Karachi, infact people, chanted slogans against him and prevented his convoy from reaching its destination. All of this came as a shock to those who have been seeing Pakistani politics since a long period, with its large hereditary vote bank. Eventually PTI took its position in Lyari as the first non PPP victory in decades. This being one example was repeated in many areas around Pakistan. With famed faces being completely wiped out from the face of main stream politics.
However this development doesn’t mean that all would be well in the shorter term with all defeated giants teaming up to allege ballot fraud. And blaming it on a “conspiracy” from Pakistan’s establishment. Which has always been infamous among Pakistani politicians for allegations such as “derailing democracy” etc. All of these parties and figures are set to form an alliance expected to start a sit in demanding a recount of all votes. On the other side Imran Khan in his victory speech was rather cool and cooperative towards any demands of a recount. With most of it centred on his new project for Pakistan as a better governed and richer country. Something truly unique to capture the minds of the frustrated youth. To conclude we can all bade well for the unshaky weeks and months ahead with Pakistan set on its biggest transformation in decades.
