Daily Times

We are addicted to fairytales. We don’t like reality at all. We are used to hearing fascinating lip service by the political ruling elite. Our political leaders persist in delivering beautiful monologues on the Parliament floor. We excel in castigating the state institutions for weak functioning; however at the same time if institutions start working with the required enthusiasm we in turncriticise on the grounds of hyper activism and fixate on procedural flaws.

Let’s have a vigorous handshake as we are the liberal citizens of Pakistan, a few in numbers; but full of resources.

The liberal lot admires Bilawal for his appealing political endeavours. There is nothing wrong in following Bilawal but one should not ignore the glaring realities of his political conventionalism.

Much has been said about the recent speeches delivered by newly elected premier of Pakistan, Imran Khan as well as Shehbaz Sharif, the leader of the opposition, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party. But, some facts about Bilawal’s leadership capabilities are being ignored due to the political fanaticism of commentators.

Interestingly, Bilawal’s maiden speech is being considered eloquent as well as comprehensive by most commentators. Certainly he underscored his point of view in a laudable manner.

However his speech was not surprising at all. His articulation displayed the same conventional image of PPP that his predecessors did. He maintained PPP’s rhetoric of ‘building a consensus’ and kept emphasizing on the fundamental issues quite vaguely. Moreover the aggression between PML-N and PTI, hindered Bilawal’s bilingual maiden speech in the National Assembly.

Bilawal needs to remove himself from the iron jaws of Asif Ali Zardari. The shadow of his father on his political decisions will not be favourable to him

Certainly Bilawal’s speech was well delivered expressing his deep concern for the myriad of issues that Pakistan is facing. These included foreign policy and political instability; both issues of great importance. However the Parliament House is not a debating club, rather people are expecting to hold politicians accountable for their performance. They want to know to what extent political parties will maintain the same manifesto they used to garner votes during the electoral campaigning.

The question to be asked from the chairman of the ruling party in Sindh, is what PPP has done for Sindh to eradicate their socio-economic deprivation? What are the major hindrances that curtail prosperity in Sindh?

Unfortunately the PPP has historically failed to deliver in Sindh. The Provincial Assembly has been their Achilles’ heel for the Bhutto leacy. Apart from certain elite areas in Karachi; Sindh on a whole is devoid of basic necessities. What is more lamentable than the fact that Karachi still does not have hygienic drinking water for its residents? Erstwhile the city of lights has been ranked as the fourth most un-livable in the world. Moreover, rural Sindh has become a symbol of ignorance, imcompetence and failure.

Besides poor governance, the top leadership of PPP is embroiled in charges of massive corruption. In recent developments the banking court has issued Asif Zardari non bail-able warrants. The investigations by the FIA is another story altogether! How the young Bhutto can close his eyes to the aggravating state of affairs his party is deeply entrenched in is baffling.

The oath-taking ceremony seemed like a point scoring segment for the party. Moreover their decision to abstain from voting for the Prime Minister’s seat is hard to justify. Moreover it can be seen as a dent in the democratic proceedings of Pakistan. Why did the Bilawal led PPP refuse to take part in voting process at the eleventh hour? Infact PPP used its card in same way as PML-N played to thwart the nomination of Makhdoom Amin Faheem in 2008.Tit for tat sounds appropriate here.

When it comes to the pitfalls of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP); Mr.Bilawal should be asked about who appointed the incompetent staff at ECP? Why have PML-N and PPP remained unsuccessful to address the loopholes in our electoral process? Was it because Khan Sahib’s party stopped them? Absolutely not! Rather the Pakistan-Tehreek-Insaf persisted in electoral reforms and wishes to stand with all opposition parties who wish to reopen constituencies.

The bitter reality is that neither PML-N nor PPP rendered serious efforts to achieve what is imperative in getting rid of the rhetoric of rigging. Moreover in his maiden speech, Bilawal also forgot to mention the significance and necessity of accountability.

There is no denying the fact that across the board accountability is the need of hour in order to deepen democracy in Pakistan. Unfortunately, Bilawal Bhutto never emphasisedupon this desired task. People have seen various episodes of gigantic corruption directed and produced by PPP’s top leadership.

Apparently, a lot of hope is being associated with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Staunch supporters of PPP as well as the liberal lot in Pakistan want to see him in action on the floor of the house in order to infuse new blood in political sphere of Pakistan. However Bilawal needs to remove himself from the iron jaws of Asif Ali Zardari. The shadow of his father on his political decisions is not favorable for him.

It would be better for Bilawal to occupy the steering of PPP with firm hands. Asif Ali Zardari should take a back seat in order to prove Bilawal as an independent visionary and political leader of Pakistan. This is a time to deliver. No Political leader can survive long on the basis of attractive speeches.

The writer is freelance columnist

Published in Daily Times, August 22^nd 2018.