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Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Rally around the real issues
Ishtiaq Ali Mehkri
7 April 2011, 7:48 PM
Politics is all about linkages. Connecting the dots is what matters when one is being a realist. Altaf Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Tehrik-e-Insaf of Imran Khan, who were at each others throats, made a new beginning recently when they exchanged pleasantries over the telephone and vowed to bury the hatchet.
This development was out of blue and is not only unprecedented but could be a precursor to far reaching consequences. Though there are hardly any parallels between the popularity and following of both the parties, they enjoy the common denominator of being evolutionary in thought and revolutionary in approach. The MQM is a time-tested entity in power and opposition, whereas the PTI relishes the premise of being anti-establishment. Pitching them as allies in any electoral unison, however, is far-fetched. But the very fact that they are interlinking the threads of civil society and cater to a constituency that is not feudal is a remarkable beginning. Pakistans political mosaic is in need of an assertive role from such stakeholders who come from the lower and middle class stratus of society, thus heralding a new era that is free from the nuisance of traditional vote banks based on caste and creed considerations.
What makes the MQM a perfect table turner is the fact that it is never in a state of inertia. Living and breathing in the corridors of power, it is at the same time the heartthrob of Pakistans majority that irresistibly vie for a governance structure that is free from the dictates of land-holding class, the scions of oligarchy and the religious orthodox. Though the MQM has taken enough somersaults to confuse its own electorate as to what it stands for, it goes without saying that the perfection, with which it has empowered the downtrodden and services-based class, at least in urban Sindh, contributes to its indispensability. It is not a joke to be part and parcel of the government and simultaneously rally as the credible opposition on issues that may or may not matter to its electorate in the long run. The very fact that it is prepared to put the system on trial is indication of its intent. The MQMs off and on desire to see the Army step in to clear the Augean stable is a case in point.
The MQM, nonetheless, is still confused in what it is asking for. So is the case with the PTI when it excessively plays to the gallery. Unnecessarily sliding into the arms of the military bureaucracy could prove to be detrimental in the long run. The structure of infant democracy in Pakistan is in need of political stability and that too with the perfection of a code of conduct to abide with the norms of the law by ensuring that corruption and nepotism are done away with. The countrys problem has been the fact that it had been governed on an ad hoc basis, and too much of jingoism has been seen as a refuge. Though this piece is not in defence of the reigning political dispensation, which has been an utter disappointment to its electorate, any effort to derail it at the verge of a general election would be tantamount to a vote of sympathy for all those in the treasury or the opposition, who have played havoc with the trust of their voters.
Pakistan uniquely possesses the potential of a vibrant media and an empowered judiciary. The pro-reformation political voices of the country, especially forces that fall in the second and third tier of popularity on the power-scale, can do well by merging under a single umbrella. This may not be an electoral alliance but one intended to campaign on issues that form the flesh and blood of society. Constituting an independent election commission, a reputed body to prosecute the backlog of corruption cases and working on a minimum agenda of restructuring the economy are indispensable tasks. Its time for the MQM, the PTI, and the like, from the civil society to come together on real issues. Politics for personal glory is unwarranted.
Ishtiaq Ali Mehkri is Khaleej Times Assistant Editor (Opinion). Write to him at [URL="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2011/April/opinion_April33.xml§ion=opinion"][email protected][/URL]([URL]http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2011/April/opinion_April33.xml§ion=opinion[/URL])
Ishtiaq Ali Mehkri
7 April 2011, 7:48 PM
Politics is all about linkages. Connecting the dots is what matters when one is being a realist. Altaf Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Tehrik-e-Insaf of Imran Khan, who were at each others throats, made a new beginning recently when they exchanged pleasantries over the telephone and vowed to bury the hatchet.
This development was out of blue and is not only unprecedented but could be a precursor to far reaching consequences. Though there are hardly any parallels between the popularity and following of both the parties, they enjoy the common denominator of being evolutionary in thought and revolutionary in approach. The MQM is a time-tested entity in power and opposition, whereas the PTI relishes the premise of being anti-establishment. Pitching them as allies in any electoral unison, however, is far-fetched. But the very fact that they are interlinking the threads of civil society and cater to a constituency that is not feudal is a remarkable beginning. Pakistans political mosaic is in need of an assertive role from such stakeholders who come from the lower and middle class stratus of society, thus heralding a new era that is free from the nuisance of traditional vote banks based on caste and creed considerations.
What makes the MQM a perfect table turner is the fact that it is never in a state of inertia. Living and breathing in the corridors of power, it is at the same time the heartthrob of Pakistans majority that irresistibly vie for a governance structure that is free from the dictates of land-holding class, the scions of oligarchy and the religious orthodox. Though the MQM has taken enough somersaults to confuse its own electorate as to what it stands for, it goes without saying that the perfection, with which it has empowered the downtrodden and services-based class, at least in urban Sindh, contributes to its indispensability. It is not a joke to be part and parcel of the government and simultaneously rally as the credible opposition on issues that may or may not matter to its electorate in the long run. The very fact that it is prepared to put the system on trial is indication of its intent. The MQMs off and on desire to see the Army step in to clear the Augean stable is a case in point.
The MQM, nonetheless, is still confused in what it is asking for. So is the case with the PTI when it excessively plays to the gallery. Unnecessarily sliding into the arms of the military bureaucracy could prove to be detrimental in the long run. The structure of infant democracy in Pakistan is in need of political stability and that too with the perfection of a code of conduct to abide with the norms of the law by ensuring that corruption and nepotism are done away with. The countrys problem has been the fact that it had been governed on an ad hoc basis, and too much of jingoism has been seen as a refuge. Though this piece is not in defence of the reigning political dispensation, which has been an utter disappointment to its electorate, any effort to derail it at the verge of a general election would be tantamount to a vote of sympathy for all those in the treasury or the opposition, who have played havoc with the trust of their voters.
Pakistan uniquely possesses the potential of a vibrant media and an empowered judiciary. The pro-reformation political voices of the country, especially forces that fall in the second and third tier of popularity on the power-scale, can do well by merging under a single umbrella. This may not be an electoral alliance but one intended to campaign on issues that form the flesh and blood of society. Constituting an independent election commission, a reputed body to prosecute the backlog of corruption cases and working on a minimum agenda of restructuring the economy are indispensable tasks. Its time for the MQM, the PTI, and the like, from the civil society to come together on real issues. Politics for personal glory is unwarranted.
Ishtiaq Ali Mehkri is Khaleej Times Assistant Editor (Opinion). Write to him at [URL="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2011/April/opinion_April33.xml§ion=opinion"][email protected][/URL]([URL]http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2011/April/opinion_April33.xml§ion=opinion[/URL])
