Daily Times

Everyone you speak to on the record off the record public and in private is aware a pantomime and a farce is being played out- but in good Pakistani style wink wink nod nod shrug shrug eyes to the sky and on the ground the spectacle will carry on with full knowledge July 25th will only marks another bend in our journey from one crisis to another in perpetuity.

For a moment we are deluding ourselves — collectively- that July 26th will bring in a dawn of a new Pakistan, a new direction, better leaders, governors, policies, decisions for an improved economy and social policies.

This realization is real. The truth is acknowledged by all those who are coming into power and also by those who cannot come into power and most importantly, by those who have power. Nevertheless, the process of disappointment must continue. This is the Pakistani way.

This year I will be a polling agent in one of our polling stations in Islamabad. I ask myself why am I even bothering? Well if I didn’t have a candidate and party to vote for, frankly I would have stayed away from elections. But in Islamabad we have an option luckily; I am not only voting Awami Workers Party but will oversee the process for them. But for the rest of the country- it will be 2008 and 2013 on repeat.

It will be interesting to see what will be the voter turnout? I sense the turnout is going to be low nationwide, inspite of the billions of rupees pumped into encouraging voters to turn up at the polls. Why should the voters vote the same people in?

How much sugar coating can justify compromised public representatives who have always made deals with the devil? Even the most brainwashed can see the lack of principles, ethics or service delivery record of these ‘electables’ on offer. Wrapping them in another flag, banner, leader really doesn’t change their character.Also, there is no clean up imminent there is no staggered justice afoot because those dry cleaning have too much laundry of their own.

I feel the voters will show their disappointment by not turning up.

Where there are independent thinking progressive new entrants in our politics, there is a glimmer of hope. But these are literally 22 constituencies out of 272 national seats across the country.

Even the most brainwashed can see the lack of principles, ethics or service delivery record of these ‘electables’ on offer. Wrapping them in another flag, banner, leader really doesn’t change their character

I hope the collective bystanders may consider their silence of protest, has too far reaching consequences, and consider their apathy and knowing ‘ground realities’ may not be a viable option any longer. It is on us, those who did nothing, said nothing, allowed it and sanctioned it through election 2018.

The only key factor is will the people of Pakistan finally wake up? There is no messiah coming and even those deluded into thinking some are the messiah have been ‘educated’ in his flaws, real or imagined.

The process leading up July 25 has damaged the credibility of every single pillar of the state. In such a situation there is little justice, little fairness, little leadership, little clarity, little information and more of the same from the same. Thus, when and if the people wake up? Where do they go? In which direction? No one is thinking of this, because the expectation from the people is they will remain silent. Again.

The writer is a human rights activist with a public policy background.

Published in Daily Times, July 25^th 2018.