Pakistan's Political Paradox

The current government of Pakistan made the people hate politicians to the extent that most of them had already decided that they’re not going to vote for anyone in the next general elections. Some thought it’s a better idea to leave the country and some thought a bloody uprising might save the future of their next generations. In such an environment, it wasn’t very difficult for a person like Imran Khan to suddenly gain enormous popularity among the desperate masses. He promised the panicked nation to bring about a change, a revolution in the country that desperately needs it. Having left with no other choice, most of the youth and those who were sick of selfish and greedy politicians, started following him.

But what if Imran Khan fails to do what he has promised?

Many critics believe that he has already begun nullifying his promises by adding politicians from old political parties to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. But rarely anyone reflects what made him do so? And the reason that made him do so is the very reason due to which the life of all Pakistanis is becoming more and more miserable with the passage of time.

Imran Khan started his political career in 1996, with a handful of likeminded activists who had almost no experience of politics. Now he has some of Pakistan’s most renowned politicians alongside him. Even the critics acknowledge that Imran Khan now enjoys far more support form the public than he had a decade ago, and only the support of distressed youth wasn’t enough for him to pose any real threat to the vote banks of major political parties. The addition of politicians like Shah Mehmood, Javed Hashmi and Khurshid Qasuri has made Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf a major competitor in the political race. So, what made the difference, the ideology or personalities? What do the Pakistanis follow, ambitions of a person or just a person? Imran Khan started his career with promises of change, his promises are still the same, but no one followed him at that time and everyone is following him now.

If a person wants to bring about a real change in Pakistan, the best and most effective way he can do it is by becoming a part of the parliament. Imran Khan chose this way, but apparently he has at last realized that only his corruption free background or his revolutionary ideologies aren’t enough to make people vote for him, he needs something that is more important for a typical Pakistani voter. He needs faces that are renowned enough. And with a show of strength on 30^th October, 2011, he got the faces as well. All the politicians from politically bankrupt parties and those who were not happy with their fellow party members started joining him at a pace that was never expected by anyone. The most common criticism on Imran Khan before 30^th October was that he has no practical plans for anything because he doesn’t even know that he isn’t going to win any seats in the assembly with unknown activists, he needs electable faces in his party, and the most common criticism he faces now is that he has got old faces in his party, how is he going to do something different and new?

This is the paradox that hampers any improvement in the Pakistani political environment. If a political party emerges with new faces, it doesn’t get any votes. And if a party gets old faces that will make it win seats, it won’t be able to bring about any change. So, aren’t the Pakistani voters their own enemies?