Daily Times

Sir: The majority of the country is currently riding a wave of euphoria as Imran Khan and the PTI claimed victory in the recent General Elections. And why shouldn’t they? There is plenty to be happy about. The status quo of the PML-N and the PPP has been defeated, and the religious parties did not manage to do so well either. This was also the third consecutive democratic election, a first in Pakistan’s history, and hopefully a sign for better things to come in the future.

However, in this optimism people are forgetting some glaring issues that seem to be creeping up and as a result all these ecstatic reactions seem a bit premature. One major news that caught the eye was the PTI’s recent drive to court the many independent candidates yet to make a decision.

Now, before the polls, the party very controversially gave seats to many politicians that had dubious backgrounds, and in many cases had been members of other political parties in the past, instead of old party stalwarts that had done so much for its development over the years. They did this despite Imran’s earlier assertions that he would never work with such people.

Now, a similar situation is taking place, with the PTI’s desire to poach as many independent candidates as they can, from their opposition, primarily the PML-N. This move comes in spite of Imran’s previous statements claiming he would never even consider working with ‘career politicians’ or independents, no matter what the circumstances. Turns out, when the highest office in the land is on the line, previous statements and promises of a ‘Naya Pakistan’ don’t really matter anymore.

ASFANDYAR KHAN

Islamabad.

Published in Daily Times, August 1^st 2018.