Daily Times

More than a week after Pakistan headed to polls, pinning hopes on a better tomorrow, nothing has changed substantially on the ground. As mainstream players orchestrate flimsy collaborations; teasing rivals and talking ten to the dozen about how they alone know what the country needs right now, they cannot deny the crippling leadership vacuum and its unimaginable impact on the lives of millions. Because no party is in a position to secure an outright majority in the National Assembly, a hotchpotch of coalition governments, stitched together despite divergent interests and ideologies, for the sake of power, hangs on the horizon. However, this coalition arrangement frequently becomes a breeding ground for political gridlock. With every passing day only providing more fodder to steaming controversies over who is in bed with whom, the word on the street is once again forced to admit that politics in Pakistan is struggling largely because of its failure to produce a single leader with the vision to navigate through complex political landscapes.

The bombshell revelations of Maulana Fazlur Rehman over the origin of the much-talked-about democratic tradition of Vote-of-No-Confidence on top of his ease in burying the hatchet and offering “gajar” halwa to once-scorned-upon bitter rivals – PTI – has made him relevant to the equation again. The instability in Balochistan, compounded by Pir Pagara’s power show should be considered a dire warning by all those attempting to play personality politics at the expense of the national interest. Pakistan is in no shape to let the shenanigans continue for long because, as is apparent to all, our beloved democracy cannot endure these pressures.

All parties would have to open their eyes to the glaring reality: it has been their inability to find sustainable solutions, which exacerbated tensions within the country, impeding progress on various fronts and leaving the ground wide open for Frankenstein’s monsters. This crisis of representation, where no one is ready to accept the mandate of others, has, in the past, resulted in a divided nation, where key policies became mired in quagmires and little to no attention could be given to problems that actually mattered. For the sake of the ruling elite, for the sake of stability in the country and for the welfare of every single Pakistani, we, at Daily Times, can only implore those who matter to take a break from their patronising tactics and focus on Pakistan. *