After closely watching the ongoing circus in Pakistan’ capital, for the last ten days, any neutral person many conclude that the general public is disillusioned by the prevailing rotten status quo which has divided the nation. They really believe that rhetoric of ‘democracy’ is a trap through which to deny any change in the system. In a real democracy peoples’ representatives, in the parliament, can make changes, but as our elected parliamentarians come from the ruling class, the landlords, industrialists, business tycoons, religious and tribal leaders, they can’t go against their own class. In truth we face a classical case of Catch-22 and presently there is no way to get out of it. The ruling class, disguised in the cloaks of political and religious parties, is adamant to maintain a firm grip on the subjects.
All the parties, whether sitting in the parliament or those busy in sit-ins, have denied the third tier of democracy, elections of local (municipal) governments to let common people deal with their day-to-day issues at local level. My conclusion about the two marches is that there is lack of leadership. PTI’s leader, Imran Khan has exposed himself as a power hungry leader. His use of street language and slangs, name calling and inciting people to violence and civil disobedience, asking overseas Pakistanis to stop remittances, shows he has no depth of international relations.
His party was ruling the KPK for last 14 months but have the lives of KPK residents improved? This party had promised to hold local government elections within 90 days, but they failed to do so even after 14 months. I believe that anyone who joins the government, they then represent the ruling class, not the masses. It’s Catch-22 again, we all believe in change and need change, but the key to change is in the hands of those who don’t want change!.
MASOOD KHAN,
Saudi Arab, August 22.