Daily Times

One of the unusual aspects of the 2018 elections was Khyber Pakhthunkhwa (KP) election results. The province has never given any party a second chance in any general elections, however, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) proved to be an exception. This speaks a lot about the party’s performance.PTI now has enough seats to make a provincial government under its stewardship without any reliance on its rivals in KP. Furthermore, the party the citizens of KP chose five years ago has now proven to be the rest of the country’s choice as well.

Over the past five years, there is no doubt that PTI has performed in KP. Under its government, the education and health sectors have improved visibly. Significant improvement has been made with respect to security, as the Police department has been depoliticised. There have been other reforms as well, which have greatly improved the Police department’s efficiency. Apart from this, a lot of construction has been underway in different parts of Peshawar to facilitate transport facilities which will certainly bring KP’s provincial capital on par with other well-established capitals.

It is pertinent to mention here that KP has been one of the most severely hit provinces from the fallout of Pakistan’s foray into the global war against terrorism. Since then, Peshawar has practically been robbed of all public life. There are hardly any recreational spots. An unending sense of insecurity has become an accepted part of life. Because of this, the city is now dotted with security personnel at various points, practically transforming the city into a militarised zone. Also, the city has been home to a large number of refugees since the 1980s. Because they have no documented proof of their identity, they are viewed as threats by security personnel. This has also caused increase tensions in the city.

Peshawar’s lost glory needs to be revived. And for this, KP has reposed its trust in PTI. The upcoming PTI government should make sure that it pays back the loyalty it received from KP. There are a lot of things which the next government can focus on. KP’s rich culture has hardly received any attention in the mainstream media and as a result people across Pakistan have archaic views about life in the province. This is something I observed personally when I asked students in Punjab about their opinions of KP. Cultural festivals can be helpful here.

Moreover, KP also lags behind in terms of academic exposure. There are conferences being held which can help students get an idea about major issues and can encourage them to acquire new research skills. Apart from arranging conferences, the government should focus on making academic institutes in KP, which act as hubs of quality education so that students from other provinces also come here to study. This will bring diversity to academic institutes, which will encourage dialogue among young people from different provinces and ethnicities. One thing I observed during my stay in Lahore for higher education is that overall, academic institutes in Lahore have a rich diversity of students from across Pakistan and that is why students having an experience of studying at Lahore have balanced views about Pakistan’s issues.

Under its government, the education and health sectors have improved visibly. Significant improvement has been made with respect to security, as the Police department has been depoliticised. There have been other reforms as well, which have greatly improved the Police department’s efficiency

Because of security problems KP has also been deprived of major sports events. This is also because the battle against terrorism has brought life to a standstill. As such, there are not enough means available through which the conservatism pervasive in KP’s society can be addressed. There are not enough avenues available for public catharsis, making social life incredibly suffocating. An innovative approach is required on the part of the government to channelise people’s energy in positive ways through sports in such a conservative milieu.

As we enter Naya Pakistan, it should be remembered that KP is as deserving of positive change as any other province — if not more so. Years of neglect and counter-productive foreign policies have deprived KP of peace. It is a testament to the strength of KP’s people that they have endured as much as they have. Finally, it seems like KP has found what it was after in the form of PTI as it has reposed its trust in PTI led government for consecutive second term, a bonhomie rare to KP’s past political history. It is now PTI’s turn to give back. Hopefully, KP and Peshawar will rediscover their lost glory during the PTI led government’s tenure.

The writer is an MPhil scholar studying International Relations at Department of Political Science at University of the Punjab, Lahore. He can be reached at uinam39@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/inamullah.marwat.56

Published in Daily Times, August 7^th 2018.