Daily Times

Sir: The PPP-PML-Q political marriage is the ‘new’ solution presented by the political establishment of Pakistan. Such is the bankruptcy of the political elite when it comes to providing solutions to the problems of the masses that all they can come up with is a new permutation of the old faces in the hope to fool the masses. Even more painful are the reasons and motives behind the formation of the new alliance, which have been published and discussed in the mainstream media. For PML-Q, it is survival in the political arena after its fragmentation into many segments. For the PPP, it is to complete its tenure in office. Even where dissent and disagreements are quoted, it is due to personal animosity amongst politicians or the fear of losing seats in certain constituencies and how it could be avoided. What is even more disappointing is how the media has discussed these developments. They have restricted their analysis to predicting the political landscape and analysing power politics. What happened to politics being ‘taking care of the affairs of the masses’? Is not managing the masses’ affairs in the most befitting manner the basic role of the government? There is a consensus from left to right, amongst liberals and the rightists that the PPP government has been an abject failure. It is because of this strong opinion present in the country that MQM and JUI-F, after enjoying the perks of ruling for three years, have distanced themselves from the PPP government in hopes of winning the sympathy of the masses. It is this very nature of the present system, in which a corrupt and incompetent government can survive despite its failure in governance, that has alienated the masses from the ruling faction. The PPP-PML-Q alliance is the biggest case against a system which is dead and unresponsive to the needs of the masses and which is designed to serve the rulers only.

MOEZ MOBEEN

Islamabad