According to foreign media reports the rhetoric of unstable Pakistan has settled somewhat. Pakistan remains a shaky nation, but a nation proving a tenacious will to survive. On May 11, the country, for the first time in its history, saw a democratic transition of power on Election Day. And despite the near-daily attacks by Taliban militants that marred the campaigning period, more people came out to vote than in any other election in four decades.
The warmth and enthusiasm caught many international observers by surprise. Despite the warnings from the Pakistani Taliban, people poured onto the streets. The reports proved false. Moreover, it rejected the horror image of Talibanized Pakistan.
More than a month has passed since then but the buzz is still in the air. Something has changed in Pakistan. The signs of it were there during the vote, there was one passion that reigned and that was ‘Vote for Change’ popular slogan of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan Ex-cricketer turned politician. The PTI could not get the expected seats in the assemblies yet it has made a paradigm change- voice for change and hope of future.
It was U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2008 promise to Americans transplanted to the other side of the world, taken up by what some might view as his political doppelgänger–the former cricket star Imran Khan. His promise of a new kind of politics in Pakistan, free of corruption and nepotism, resonated with many. Khan’s Party for Justice (PTI) took control of Pakistan’s most tumultuous and arguably most critical province in terms of Islamic militancy, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, formerly the North-West Frontier Province, bordering Afghanistan. The PTI has also showed significant gains at the national level, garnering the third-most seats in parliament and nipping at the heels of the much more seasoned Pakistan Peoples’ Party. More important, however, was this: The religious parties failed miserably, garnering a mere five per cent of the popular vote. “The key success of the PTI is that it energized the Pakistani youth. “Historically, young people have never come to the polls in very large numbers, nor have they been a large constituency for the religious right. But this time around was different. The new generation of Pakistanis is starting to take control of their political future.”
Instead, young people voted for specific issues: solving the electricity crisis, creating jobs, and confronting U.S. foreign policy, particularly drone strikes. The drones issue had received a boost during President Obama’s May 23 speech at the National Defence University in Washington, But now they must realize that the entire Pakistani nation is against these attacks. The might have targeted a few terrorists but has damaged greatly the peaceful country and shattered its economy.
It was Pakistani armed forces that checked the occupation of entire northern belt up to Swat. US is just destroying her image for its candidacy of world leadership. Islam is a symbol of peace; if you distort it you pave way for anti-peace forces in the world. Lesser vote to Islamic radicals organizations does not mean that Pakistani Muslims have (God forbid) forsaken Islam; they have just rejected some religious-political organizations in face of PTI also an overwhelming Muslim majority party. A good Muslim is always moderate in thinking and practice.
The youth supporting Imran Khan are literate Muslim youth Enthusiasts with strong Faith and hopeful of future of Pakistan. They are builders of new Pakistan. Pakistan and Islam are two sides of the same coin. But Islamic Pakistan is a good addition in the comity of nations because Pakistan is ideologically peaceful and strong enough to deter any aggression. Pakistan has no plans against any nation Muslim or Non-Muslim but minimum deterrence is a necessary tool for peaceful coexistence in this world. World must understand this simple logic.
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