Daily Times

The strength and power of our words can leave a lasting impression. In March, soon after the new government had taken its oath, I had a chance to interview Azma Bukhari, who had picked up the baton as a spokesperson to the first female Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s heartland. When asked about her hopes for the upcoming stint, she noted that it would be extremely challenging to be a befitting face of a government headed by someone challenging the realms of time and limited finances. Pitted against an extraordinarily crucial scenario, I sometimes believe that time did prove her right, or perhaps, to borrow her own words, “it has shown (her) that (she) might have underestimated my leader, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.”

Even the fiercest of Maryam’s critics would think twice before doubting her commitment to the vision she had laid out on her first day in power: “People are my red line.”

Now why would someone be interested in giving court to yet another leader who claims to change the narrative of a country widely speculated to have lost its chance? I had then wondered.

With a twinkle in her eyes and a committed resolve in her voice, she answered, “To those cynics I proclaim, lo and behold, the new sheriff is in town.”

There have been endless and quite predictable comparisons of Maryam to Benazir Bhutto, Indira Gandhi, and Hasina Wazed.

Why would someone be interested in giving court to yet another leader who claims to change the narrative of a country widely speculated to have lost its chance?

Before weighing down the collective mindset with tales of the years gone by, they would do well to remember what is different this time around. It is no secret that Punjab’s new chief minister does not believe in the concept of window dressing. There’s no sugar-coating or mindless rubber-stamping involved here. Instead of being whipped up by a camaraderie of old uncles or clandestine alliances with the one percenters, she wishes to do everything herself, with an eye on the sweeteners she had promised atop the campaign bandwagon.

Of course, it is hard to compete with those who still wish to water down the rhetoric with statistical parallels, believing that numbers hold the key to performance. They might even be right in calling out the usual 1:5 ministerial ratio of women to men, which is still better than provinces like Sindh (1:13) but not drastically different from 7:72 in India’s Union Ministry or the usual trend of women legislators, which accounts for 23.3 per cent in the cabinets of many countries, according to statistics compiled by UN Women.

Maryam’s administration, nevertheless, seeks to send a loud message by prioritising quality over quantity. The women are not overwhelming in number and many of them have reached the assembly through reserved seats but I see every single one of them trying hard, day in and day out to change the status quo before the next elections.

How many chief ministers personally oversee individual cases of intimate partner violence, deputing a woman lawmaker with the Punjab Women Safety Authority in a country where men have, on repeated occasions, resorted to victim-shaming in such scenarios? In stark contrast to distasteful remarks putting the onus on women’s appearance and their activities for “making” the men rape them (after all, they are not robots), for a change, every single rape case is being given attention as a personal challenge and blot on the writ of the authority. May it be cheering on passing-out parades of women law enforcement personnel, or installing panic buttons on streets, she has turned the safety, well-being and self-reliance of all women across the province into her crusade.

Anyone with a finger on the bureaucratic pulse in our part of the land would know how dangerous it is to tread along the murky waters. But, the writing on the wall, to date, amazingly reflects how she, challenging the old hands, is in sync with the well-oiled machinery. Having turned the district administration into a trusted asset instead of a disgruntled adversary or a stumbling block, Punjab is trying hard to revive its past excellence.

That I dared utter the name of Benazir Bhutto is bound to stir the hornet’s nest. Pakistan has, for a long time, enjoyed the adrenaline rush of its romance with BB. Nothing wrong in denying her sacrifices for the sustenance of democracy. In the world of politics, where men call the shots and the game can turn dirty in the blink of an eye, every female should feel it their duty, their innate call to celebrate the legacy of those who stepped the road before her and encourage others to aim even higher. But excuse my loyalty as even BB, the most celebrated woman Pakistan could offer in the ’80s, fell short of working on the next cadre of leadership. Today, when Maryam Nawaz brings back the feminine flavour to the menu, she does not stand out as an anomaly. A rare splash of the women’s card. A seat-filler. Punjab might not be Rwanda (61.3 per cent of women legislators) Cuba (55.7 per cent) or even Nepal (32.8 per cent) and still have miles to go before making a mark but rest assured, if given a chance, there’s no hope of it defied these odds someday.

Of course, intentions alone are just words and thus, do not carry the power to bring about lasting change. No matter what Ms Bukhari or even her chief minister may envision, their team is nowhere in sight of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Nothing can deny that but since the journey has only begun they are not in the mood to throw the towel just yet. Maybe. A faint maybe.

There’s a lot that’s happening on the ground zero but just because it’s not glamorous enough or it does not feed into the self-perpetuating mirage of a broken Pakistan, the hard work does not get the attention it deserves. I once heard an exasperated Azma sigh, “Imagine the irony that I have to fight the honourable media persons in my own country to focus on a revolutionary program introduced in Punjab to ensure the provision of free milk supply to school children or Punjab’s first skill development programme or an impressive 268,337 registrations in Punjab Social Economic Registry for the provision and ease of access to welfare schemes like Himmat Card, Kissan Card, Laptop and Scholarship Programme, Livestock Card, Solar Panel Scheme, Tractor Scheme and Ramadan Package.”

For the sake of comparisons, an Indian state’s efforts to provide free school meals were immortalised by cinema marvels and Michelle Obama’s emphasis on a nutrition policy (while sitting inside the White House, not the Oval Office) prompted showers of praises for her attention to the needs of tomorrow. Because every small bit counts, anyone using the capacity of a public office to fight for the welfare of special children deserves better than harsh criticism and vile personal attacks. If Punjab gets criticised for the reduced buying capacity of its citizens, why are there no notices of efforts to bring down the backbreaking inflation it had received as a parting gift from Buzdar’s administration? The Consumer Price Index gives faint (just a flicker) murmurs of light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, all this does not guarantee ratings so the attention is fixated on the needs of a former prime minister and convicted prisoner Imran Khan. No surprises there. It goes to the misfortune of our part of the world that the petty squabbles of small men have always managed to steal the limelight away from the issues that matter. Maryam Nawaz might not have succeeded yet and still needs to improve her administration but she does intend to change the narrative altogether: focusing on governance, governance and some more governance.

The writer is OpEd Editor (Daily Times) and can be reached at durenayab786@gmail.com. She tweets @DureAkram