Let the Doves prevail!

Yes, we did !! Indeed, the whiff of “ Yes, we can”, could be felt even before the bullets tried in vain to scare the enthusiastic voter away! The people of the nation had made up their mind. They were determined and no amount of bullying could deter them! “Yes, we did it” ! shouts a beaming a young Pakistani as he watches the nations flags fluttering proudly! Earlier Indian films and music found favour with the Pakistanis, but this time shades of Karnataka elections could be seen as the PPP was decimated beyond recognition a la BJP style! Not just Karnataka, India seems to have influenced the outcome in a big way. Imran Khan became the Anna Hazare , raising the torch of Anti Corruption, but regrettably, with limited success. Coalitions of India have followed them with no single party emerging with outright majority though Nawaz Sharif might just cross the line. Different governments in provinces will be the Achilles heels in the days to come. And governance is bound to suffer. Hence, rejoicings in India may be either premature or short-lived. If we do not go into premeditated and willing amnesia, we would remember that Nawaz Sharif was the spirit behind the Kargil misadventure. Allegations of rigging may never be proved and the nation has to accept the results as they are. Yes, it is acknowledged that the route to ruling Pakistan goes through Punjab where around 55% of the parliament comes from there. Probably a couple of decades back, Nawaz had chanted “Jaag Punjabi Jaag”! Punjabis have woken up 20 years late! Although there was mass hysteria about Captain Khan, the reality was that he was still a novice in the art of politics. Imran Khan certainly inspired the youth but then not all youth are voters and not all voters are youth. Then the rural youth has a different perspective and they are followers of preconceived notions, prejudices and biases. Voting in rural Pakistan is also like rural India. Vote for all factors other than efficiency, honesty and integrity. Money power, muscle power and regional power powers the voter to take decisions that are suicidal not only for himself but for his community, his society, his nation. I have always said that democracy sans literacy and drenched in poverty is an albatross that sinks you deeper into the quicksand. The more you try to extricate yourself, the more doomed you are. Democracy needs education and enlightenment Democracy is no panacea for ills unless literacy is the guiding force. Until then, criminals will continue to get elected under the garb of politicians. It is indeed unfortunate that Pakistan’s politics is like that of Tamil Nadu. Either Jaya Lalita or Karunanidhi! Tahreek-e-Insaf party did flatter to deceive! If Pakistan has to benefit from this current flirt with Democracy, then the people of the nation have to learn to be honest and then practice honesty. They need to ensure that Nawaz delivers by piling on sustained pressure on the government. Being an eternal optimist, I expect the provincial governments of PPP, PTI (possible) to pressurize the central government by doing good work in their regions. It is expected that conservatives will call the shots in the coming days. Not only at the national level but also in the provinces. Captain Imran has the most unenviable task of balancing the drone riddled Khyber Pakhtun khan. He has to now walk the rather bold and aggressive talk. This is a wonderful opportunity for neighbouring India to not only provide stability to a floundering democracy but also to ensure minimum reliance on extreme and fringe elements. Business with Pakistan should be based on hard realities and not sentiments of the rightists. Let the doves prevail over the hawks and create a unique and pleasant Indo-Pak history!