10 Questions from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
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[TD="class: small_txt"]10 Questions from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari by Ali Moeen Nawazish
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[TD="class: small_txt"]Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took to the stage. It was a defining
moment for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The whole future of the party in one
way or another hangs in the balance. If Bilawal clicks, then the PPP can look
forward to a successful election year.
Bilawals speech and thus entry into politics has been met with mixed reviews. Some hail him while others abhor him.
Yet, funnily the only thing most analysts can agree on is that he has improved
his Urdu language.
Still, there are 10 questions that come to mind after Bilawal was anointed torch-bearer, as a newspaper put it. It was indeed his first speech, and it was a chance to show that some form of change would come.
It was an opportunity to show that he understood the challenges and the problems
and was ready to tackle them head on. After all, such expectations are only
natural from an educated man who has studied at one of the best institutions of
the world.
Question 1
Mr. Bilawal, your speech revolved around the
emotional context of Benazir Bhuttos and Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttos deaths. While
their sacrifices deserve to be recognised, shouldnt a man of your academic
standing be more inclined to a different and more issue-based
narrative?
Question 2
How do you justify being chairperson of a political
party working for democracy through inheritance and dynasty? The British press
has already noted that UK press sees your entry as an exploitation of a dynastic
connection.
Question 3
How do sacrifices in the past which were very
meaningful in their own way have anything to do with a brighter future for
Pakistan? Only the existence of such sacrifices cant do much without a tangible
plan to build upon them further.
Question 4
In your entire speech except
for stating that inflation had been reduced from 25 to 9 percent, you did not
point to or discuss the essential economic problems of the country. What do you
plan to do about those?
Question 5
How do you plan tackling the security
situation in the country, especially in Karachi?
Question 6
You are one of the lucky few from the Pakistani youth to have received a world class
education. Yet except for saying that your party will look into launching
education programs, education was not highlighted in your speech. Isnt it the
fact that the 18th Amendment, prepared by your party has, according to many
experts, created grave problems for education by devolving the curriculum to
provincial level, which should be a national subject.
Question 7
You quietly swept aside that record level corruption has underscored your partys
term in office for the past five years. What is your take on this? What will be
done to minimise it?
Question 8
There was also an expectation that you
would come up with some clear policy guidelines, a roadmap that your party would
take. There was also an expectation that you would go beyond just the jiyala
narrative and would try to appeal to a broader audience. You didnt. Do you want
to only limit yourself to loyalist supporters?
Question 9
How do you expect to connect with an ordinary Pakistani. Having lived abroad most of your life, traveling in motorcades and in a protected bubble away from ordinary
Pakistani, will you be able to determine the needs and expectations of people in
the country? How do you expect to do that?
Question 10
Lastly and perhaps more importantly, how do you expect to deal with the urban educated and perhaps more aware population? In particular, young people for whom just the slogan of roti, kapra and makan is not enough. A population which wants change from the typical old political landscape. How will you prove to them that you are an independent thinker and change-maker and not just an extension of the status
quo?
The writer is Youth Ambassador of Geo and Jang Group. Email:
[email protected]
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