We need Kaptaan
Although in cricket you can not change your team while playing a game but in parliamentary democracy you are free to change as many players as you want, whenever you want. So the role of the captain becomes much more important in parliamentary democracy as he is at the helm of the affairs, calling all the shots and leading the team to his desirable direction.
In Pakistan we have parliamentary democracy and over the years we had many captains and some referees who imposed themselves on us as our captains. I call them referees because in each and every democracy in the world either parliamentary or presidential they have played this role in one form or another but I would not go into the details because it is not my primary subject.
Unfortunately we never had a captain who really commanded the respect of all by displaying the basic qualities necessary to be a captain. They were unable to do so because these people were actually manufactured, nurtured and boomed by the referees or just inherited the legacy of made captains. Even than they were in a unique position to play for the home team and let the cape of hunger, poverty, ignorance, lawlessness and extremism which is holding the nation back fall from the shoulders but they chose to play for the home instead and excelled.
Amazing fact is that these so called captains who never actually cared for their people never retired in spite of all their failures to deliver and used/using political gimmickry and public money (either looted or administratively controlled) to fool same people again to make them captains once more even after their many past lackluster performances.
As these captains never got the status of Greats they made sure that players on their teams also should not perform in such a manner that jeopardizes their Thrones. Although these captains lack the basic characteristics of a captain but they used their ill sourced money, family connections and their beloved referees to strengthen their reign over enthusiastic home team players.
After all these years of forced hardship and toil we are finally blessed with a true captain, my Kaptaan. Here is a man who has a life long history of struggle and triumph, a soul who traveled through dark night and daylight and today the radiance of his achievements earthly and spiritual beams millions of hearts. He made his fair share of mistakes on and off the field but the compelling point in his favor is that he learned from them. His predecessors and contemporaries calls him the greatest captain of Cricket, a title earned.
I believe him when he says he will provide us with the best political team Pakistan has ever seen because it seems that his will is caressed by the Almightys will otherwise the one of many puzzles he put together in life was enough to take a life time of any other. He speaks from the heart, looks in the eye and stands for those who are nonexistent to our ex and current captains.
He is The Man but still just a man who has made mistakes and will do so but he evolves every single day and moves forward. Determined as a rock against the sea he stands firm on his principles amid concentrated efforts to break his resolve for last 15 years. He could have retained his title of National Hero and lived life of amusement with his children and wife but he chose the less traveled road to become a leader, a real captain.
Opportunity has presented itself. We have to make this count. I can see the team shaping up lead by a skillful captain, a visionary leader. Responsibility to act on this initiative is ours, we are the ones who will make our dreams come true and for this we only need someone to lead us, be our captain and give us a vision. We need Kaptaan.
Rana Atif Mahmmod
Twitter@atif348
