Daily Times

Why Kaptaan? The answer is Naya Pakistan. As prime minister, Imran Khan will have to deliver on his promise, otherwise he will not only lose his popularity but also his office. It is not a small undertaking. Kaptaan is inspired by Riyasat-e-Madina — the first welfare state of the world.

In 1970, in the country’s first and only free and fair elections, Bhutto won through his manifesto of Roti, Kapra aur Makan while Mujib offered provincial autonomy. Both leaders met tragic ends, with the dismemberment of Quaid’s Pakistan. The results were disastrous for them and the country.

The slogan seems to be shifting from Naya to Aik Pakistan, which is indeed interesting. The differences between the two have to be understood. Aik Pakistan can be achieved by bridging the gap between the privileged and deprived segments of the society while Naya Pakistan requires a major overhaul of the existing system.

The colonial setup was not designed to serve; it has to be dismantled, not polished to improve its appearance. Only four countries have continued with this regressive approach of governance (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) which has contained their development and growth.

In the murky politics of Pakistan, Kaptaan’s credibility stands out. Personally, he is clean, but the individuals who surround him and control his party are not, which is raising serious doubts about his ability to deliver.

Serious objections have been raised in the award of party tickets for the upcoming elections. The committee members were not neutral, they awarded tickets to themselves and their family members. Kaptaan is right in saying that he has not awarded tickets to his friends and family members, but who is required to check the conduct of the award committee?

By contrast, Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP) had a neutral committee that selected the candidates strictly on basis of merit, and there were no personal interests of the members at play.

The 20th century was shaped by three major revolutions (Bolshevik 1917, Chinese 1949 and Iranian 1978). Despite all these inequalities, the current century has not seen another upheaval yet. Political activists are celebrating the fifty-year anniversary of the student uprising of 1968 that toppled several governments worldwide, including Ayub Khan’s dictatorship in Pakistan.

Pakistan too has been at the edge several times. People’s mandate did prevail in the 1970 elections but Quaid’s country was dismembered. The lawyers and civil society movement in 2007 had the potential of turning the tables on the status quo but it faltered at the finish line.

Instead of surrounding the dictator, long marchers reached the parliament house from where they were asked to disperse and go home. The dictator later left the presidency after the elections but with a guard of honour. Judges were restored but the movement fizzled out. It was back to business as usual.

After wasting forty years as a nation (1977 to 2017), the stakes are high for the electoral contest in 2018. The mass support for Kaptaan is conditional and not open ended, which is why fingers are being raised at his team selection.

Kaptaan understood the game of cricket and was able to pick up a winning team and in the case of Shaukat Khanum and Namal College.

Naya Pakistan cannot be built with the conventional approach. Certainly, Kaptaan has the capacity and credentials to introduce much needed change but the people do not trust tried and “tested” politicians who have now positioned themselves as electables.

In the murky politics of Pakistan, Kaptaan’s credibility stands out. Personally, he is clean, but the individuals who surround him and control his party are not — and this is raising serious doubts about his ability to deliver

During the formative years of cricket in Pakistan, Hanif Muhammad had to carry the bat till the end as there was no one to hold the innings together. To save the match he batted for days till he could stand on the pitch and rightly earned the title of “Little Master”.

With the political team that Kaptaan has picked up, he will have to play Hanif’s innings and carry the bat till the end. It is because of these players that he had had to take U-turns to correct the situation.

Tickets were awarded and then withdrawn, names of caretakers were suggested and then dropped, and it clearly shows lack of seriousness and homework by his team; in the end he had to bat to save the match.

But alone he cannot survive his game, and if he doesn’t change his strategy soon then we may be looking at a repackaged Purana Pakistan pretending to be Naya.

The writer is the former Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be reached at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th 2018.