Daily Times

‘Kaptaan always uses the analogy that fish always rots from the head. In this case, he is right: he is carrying the morbid matter in the body of his party while the rank and file remain disconnected with their leader. He claims to have a winning combination which is neither visible nor communicable to the workers who long for their Kaptaan but not the dirty laundry that he carries around with him.

Fortunately for him and the party, the political cleansing in the country has also hit home. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has been effective in enforcing articles 62, 63 of the constitution resulting in disqualifications. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also stepped up across the board accountability which is a welcome sign.

In order to unite the party, Kaptaan’s winning combination and strategy has to be communicated all the way down to the party’s rank and file, bypassing the bulging poisoned bellies that stand in between. Bulges in the middle obscure the view of the feet that have to do the running without which neither the body nor the brain can function resulting in decay. Like the leader, the party needs to exercise to remain fit. Unfortunately, the party fitness is badly affected due to the lack of any political movement at the lower and the grassroots level.

A membership drive is a good idea but where will the newcomers go when called to duty? In most emergency drills the meeting point is highlighted and agreed to. Everyone gathers there to be counted and then launched into action. Without counting there can be no mobilisation or advance the only retreat is possible. There have to be mentors on the ground to guide and coach the inexperienced.

PTI is a party of change led by ‘Mr. Clean’. Unfortunately, while the top and bottom are pristine the middle is not

Like the Cricket team, PTI needs someone like Mickey Arthur who can get the team together by striking a balance while he does not play himself in any format of the game. An imbalanced team cannot deliver. Every format has its own challenges. Some excel in T-20 while others perform well in ODIs while a very few can endure a test match. It is Mickey Arthur’s responsibility to field the best team. Except for Sarfraz Ahmed rest of the team is selected according to the format and opposition it has to face with individual players keep rotating. Mickey’s job is clearly cut out: he is required to train not to play, one person can only do so much, and otherwise, the system collapses.

After the death of Comrade Ahsan Rashid a founder and builder of PTI, the party has not been the same. He was the manager of the change movement like Chou-en-Lai of China. He was able and honest who believed in an open heart, door and wallet policy. Single handily he organised the party in Punjab and led the Tehrik in the Lawyers Movement in 2007. Despite intrigues and backstabbing, he did not react for the sake of party unity. Kaptaan came for his burial on November 25, 2014, to Nisar Colony where he lived. With the permission of his son Mansur Ahsan I placed the party flag on his ‘Janaza’ but once he was laid to rest the party was taken over.

Every movement has to be managed. The Pakistan People’s party (PPP) was led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) but managed by stalwarts like JA Rahim and Dr Mubashir Hasan. While they kept the party mechanism functional, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the face of the movement. In the case of PTI, everyone wants to be seen with the Kaptaan and look like him. The faces are the same be it Lodhran or Islamabad. The same team for T-20, ODI and tests, it is bad both for cricket and politics. No one seems to be playing the role of Mickey Arthur.

PTI needs an Inter-Party Dialogue (IPD) to understand Kaptaan’s game plan. No team can function without unity and cohesion. Democracy calls for debate, discussion, representation and inclusion not seclusion. The original PPP was built on this principle.

Ghulam Mustafa Khar as Governor fixed one day a week for his constituents to visit him. He patiently listened to them and redressed their grievances. Kaptaan can also have a dedicated ‘Team Day’ to meet his ‘Tigers’ without intermediaries. These meetings can be organised at Bani Gala and can also be rotated in the provincial capitals.

A few Mickey Arthur’s of PTI can be tasked to prepare a framework and timetable for IPD. These can be great team building sessions. Instead of the same eleven players in uniform, Kaptaan will then lead a cohesive team of millions who will be able to follow his directions and act on his command. All this will only be possible if the message is fully understood and delivered. PTI’s stand for change has a universal appeal. All it needs is across the board cohesion to unite it into an impregnable force. Like ZAB’s unified Jiyalas of the seventies delivered against all odds, Kaptaan’s Tigers can deliver change by winning the electoral contest for him in 2018 through

The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, he can be contacted at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, April 12^th 2018.