In the build-up of the 23rd
March jalsa by the PTI, the euphoria on the social media was palpable. The
event itself heightened the frenzy. And then, the very next day, Imran Khan
dropped the J-bomb!
The twitterati went into
hyperdrive. All critics and a great many supporters roundly denounced Imran
Khan’s announcement of a possible seat adjustment with the Jamaat-e-Islami. All
of a sudden, a political party that had theretofore been just another dubious
player in the dirty politics of Pakistan came to embody everything wrong with
the country. A considerable laundry list of charges, starting pre-partition, going
via East-Pakistani atrocities, up to and including Dr. Munawar Hasan’s dubious
and frankly scary understanding of rape laws, was hammered out again and again.
By association, not only was the JI answerable for these charges, so too was
the PTI.
For several critics this was the
moment Imran Khan exposed himself as the closet mullah that he was. His supporters
were also at a loss to reconcile these charges with their own consciences and
floundered about trying to make sense of it all. Some made valiant efforts to
try and explain the move as a tactical one rather than an ideological one, but
with negligible success. Suddenly, the PTI was JI and the JI was PTI! The
charges against the JI were all accurate and the questions being put to the PTI
were awkward. This is a very positive development.
In fact, herein lies the
difference between the PTI and its following, and the rest of the political
parties in the country. The vital question is this: would there have been such
a furore if the Jamaat-e-Islami had allied itself with any other mainstream party
in the country? Would anyone have batted an eyelid or raised an eyebrow at news
of a possible seat adjustment between the JI and the PMLN (as is happening now)
or even a JI-PPP alliance?
That fact of the matter is that
the PTI is selling itself as the ethical party that will change politics in the
country forever. In doing so, it has raised the bar for itself much higher than
everyone else. This is only natural, as the smallest player on the block, it
has had to make tall claims to be noticed and taken seriously. The fact that
the electorate, too, is now responding by taking them to task over these claims
even before the elections means that their movement has now reached the point
where followers are also invested in their cause. The movement is now bigger
than Imran Khan.
The next step is going to be
ticket allotment. Already, rumours of some ‘electables’ possibly not being
granted party tickets due to a less than stellar financial record are being met
with jubilant approval. In such a situation the PTI parliamentary board will be
under immense pressure to select and field candidates that cannot later
embarrass them. Bad PR for a few candidates could very easily jeopardise their
entire campaign.
Having said all this, the
electorate and the various political analysts also need to keep ground
realities in mind. They need to understand that the PTI may have the election
locked down on Facebook but, as critics are keen to point out, the election is
not going to be contested in cyberspace. The actual battleground are the
villages, streets, and mohallas of Pakistan. In this non-virtual world, while
having undergone rapid growth, the PTI is still a nascent player. The lumbering
PMLN, uninhibited by qualms of ethicality is absorbing everything in its path. Similarly,
the well-established PPP has been fairly unabashedly using its position as the
incumbent to facilitate a return. Given these factors, the PTI leadership will
have to play a delicate balancing game where is does not lose its core message,
but does not also end up fighting with one hand tied behind its back.
Frankly, if corruption alone had
been a vote getter, the PTI would not have received the thrashings it previously
has. There is, after all, a reason that most “decent, clean people” have either
enjoyed limited success or steered well clear of the political arena in
Pakistan for a considerable amount of time – it requires one to get their hands
dirty.
Furthermore, people also need to
realise that while it’s a good thing to hold PTI to its tall claims, it is also
worthwhile to bear in mind that the bar for the PTI is higher than the PMLN and
the PPP. If they are unable to meet their own standards, they still need to be
compared to these parties rather than being dismissed outright.
Critics seem to forget that at
the end of the day, the PTI is still a political party, and like all political
parties it relies heavily on rhetoric. It is surprising how often intellectuals
seem unable to glean the overall message and get lost, instead, arguing with
rhetorical statements. Most notably, PTI’s radical terminology (tsunami, change
etc.) are repeatedly used against them. That the PTI has had at least minor positive
effects on the political landscape of Pakistan is undeniable. The politicisation
of the urban middle classes, the campaign, specifically the fund raising techniques
and the rabid obsession with financial propriety among the political classes
are strong achievements for the PTI. Unfortunately, for many critics, these are
not radical enough. They should, however, be appreciated as steps in the right
direction.
Too many people make the argument
that if the PTI is going to compromise, then it need not exist. This approach
makes the broad assumption that all compromises are the same, hence, since
existing parties are quite adept at this task there is no need for the PTI. Most
of the time, these people acknowledge that such an approach would most likely
result in abject defeat, but insist that in some cosmic way this virgin sacrifice
will serve a higher purpose.
Upon democracy’s much celebrated
return to our land in 2008, article upon article was written about how the
uninterrupted democratic process would result in the gradual cleansing of the
political pool. Well, this is it. Round one of the sifting is here. Does the
Pakistani public want to back the relatively cleaner of the parties and push
the political spectrum towards more accountable governments, or does it want to
wait around a few more years in hope of a better option to come along? This is
crunch time!
Finally, for a long time the PMLN
made the argument that a vote for PTI would divide the electorate, leaving
people at the mercy of the PPP. Let me put a new spin on this very argument.
Another disastrous election for the PTI may well result in its annihilation,
leaving people at the mercy of the PMLN and the PPP. How well would these two
perform if there was no PTI around? How long would it take before a population,
their resolve emaciated by misgovernance and corruption, once again welcomed a
military takeover?
