Daily Times

Never a dull moment. That is what one must say about Pakistani politics. Just when everybody in the country was settling to the thought of an inevitable march towards the 2013 elections, the long march by Dr Qadri has created enough suspense to qualify for a Bollywood thriller. To march or not to march is the discussion in every nook and corner of the country. Speculation, expectation, accusation galore have hit the media with so many conspiracy theories afloat that it is difficult to make sense or headway on what to believe and what to dismiss.

Whatever you may sarcastically say about Dr Qadri’s emergence in Pakistani politics, there are some serious lessons to be learned. The first one is that the public has a huge appetite for something novel. This public has been fed on stale agendas and stereotype promises. This public is fed up of people who day in and day out talk about awam (public) and have no shame or regard of constantly turning a blind eye to the blistering conditions they have thrust upon ordinary citizens. This public has had politicians either singing praises of their own non-existent governance or severely castigating opponent parties with only one stance: ‘Even if we have erred, we have been less wrong than our opponents.” This has given rise to political and media fatigue. There was a time when it was said that the eight to nine pm slot was monopolised by talk shows with highest ratings and sponsorships. Perhaps Pakistan was the only country where primetime is dominated by cat and dog fights of our political leaders. However, it was overdone and overplayed, and as the media realised the audience’s withdrawal and desire for entertainment, they started refocusing on plays and sports, etc. Thus we saw the emergence and revival of Pakistani drama as well as the success of some imported and dubbed dramas, taking the stage away from talk shows. This change in viewer’s preferences is a logical reaction to the stalemate of the same faces and the same talk repeatedly on the media.

Both in public perception and the media there was a vacuum of something new and different. Dr Qadri’s media campaign and his event management ability was capitalised fully to occupy the space in this vacuum. He used teaser and suspense advertising before coming into Pakistan to gain attention. The very scale and frequency with which he delivered his emphatic but incomplete message started the talk show tongues wagging. People who ignored this as another flash in the pan became more alert as with time the message became the hottest debate. Whatever the sources of funding of this advertising blitz to gain attention and highlight his message, it is still cheap considering the return on investment. Between December 23, 2012 and mid-January, the amount of free publicity that Dr Qadri and his colleagues have got in terms of talk shows, press conferences, interviews, debates, articles, blogs, newspapers and magazines far outweighs the financial investment that was made. Thus, for short burst/blitz marketing, it is very well thought out and planned.

Another aspect is the timing and style. With people starved for change and at the end of their patience waiting for the elections, this diversion is definitely worth going for even if it is just out of curiosity and fatigue. Dr Qadri has tremendous oratory skills and the ability to hold attention for hours based on an appealing combination of tones, knowledge and quick repartee. Thus, despite the conspiracy theories against him people still believe that his agenda just might be the real out of the box treatment Pakistan needs. The political parties have definitely been taken first by surprise and then by alarm at the ability of Dr Qadri to hammer the message and then organise a march most parties have been claiming but not going through with.

The consequences of this march are important but more important are the lessons it has for the present lot of politicians. The first lesson is that the public will be given a message that rings a bell about their issues. The opposition parties in parliament, particularly the PML-N, have also been criticising the government on the same issues but because its own government in Punjab has performed poorly, it does not have the credibility that Dr Qadri’s message may have. Thus their criticism about Dr Qadri’s credentials will not stop people from joining the march, as the issues highlighted by him are the ones that people can relate to.

The litmus test of the public response will not be their participation in the march but the consequences of the march. If the march results in creating a set up that may be interim in name and may last for years, then the ability of the political parties to raise protest and muster huge and sustained public support to subvert such a happening will be challenged. If the march turns out to be a hastening of the elections under a proper caretaker setup, then of course it will be viewed and tackled differently by the public and political parties.

Perhaps the worst part for the public is that just when they were in the mood to analyse the manifestos of political parties and make up their minds as to whom to give their vote of confidence, the whole attention from the focus on deliverables has shifted to uncertainty about the future. A conspiracy theory also states that the parties that have performed worst are actually behind this diversion as they have little to show on which to base their election campaigns. Whatever the situation, it is definitely a test of nerves for the general public. They have already suffered massively in the last five years and were looking for some relief this year. If the Dr Qadri episode turns out to be just a ripple in the political pond, it will soon be forgotten under the din of election sloganeering. But if it causes an upheaval in the political system then the real test of the political parties will take place where their ability and popularity will determine how they prevent history from repeating itself and retarding the democratic maturity of the country.

The writer is a leadership coach, columnist and the Information Secretary of the PTI, Punjab. She can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com