Daily Times

More of the same was the sentiment reverberating in the country at the end of 2012. The year started with a belief that if things continued as they were, things would not continue to be. Well, things have remained as they were and yet we keep hoping for a change. The deterioration in the socioeconomic conditions of the country, the degradation in all aspects of governance and the devaluation of the economy were the consistent features of the year gone by. Electricity and gas load shedding are still making headlines; target killings and suicide bombings are still feeding breaking news; and corruption and tax evasion are still the top talk show stories. Yet the feeling that this cannot go on would be because of the sentiment that it can lead to extreme frustration if not dealt with, or it would lead to some extreme action if the urge to change prevails. That is why 2013 will be such an interesting year for Pakistan as it can lead to many scenarios that are not necessarily the continuation of the same.

The year 2011 ended with huge rallies of the PTI at Lahore and Karachi and 2012 has ended with huge rallies of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s launch on the PPP’s political pedestal. All three have been harbingers of change from their own perspective. Then there is the timing factor. While the PTI mobilised huge crowds a year and a half before the elections, Dr Qadri is doing so a few months before the final call. The call for change has never been more vociferous. However, change requires not only a change of faces, slogans, parties, but also a change of thinking and mindset. It requires not only a change of the ECP rules but also a change of intent and action. It requires not only a change of titles and positions but also a change of behaviour and character. That leaves a question mark on all these seemingly well-meaning bursts of patriotism we see from time to time, especially from leaders sitting in their safe and comfortable havens in the UK, Dubai and Canada, and proclaiming their undying love for the country.

Dr Qadri is a renowned scholar who has a respected image not just due to his tremendous knowledge on many religious and non-religious subjects, but also because of his amazing skill of translating ideas into words and articulating them in the most authentic manner. The rally that was held at the Minar-e-Pakistan was striking in many ways. Never before for any rally was such marketing seen. The electronic media was, for weeks, overloaded with advertising in primetime whose budget would be in figures rarely affordable to most political parties. Outdoor advertising was also phenomenal. Hoardings, billboards, banners and rickshaw advertising made it almost impossible to go out and not be hit in the face by Dr Qadri’s denouncing arm. Thus the remarkable marketing blitz raised many questions on funding sources and their extensive usage just before the countdown to elections. Dr Qadri has a very established organisation and there is little doubt about his ability to raise resources and pull people at a time when people are desperate for any new hope on the horizon. However, his late arrival on the scene with all sorts of calls for action is still to be interpreted as a focused plan for reform in the country.

A few days later, we also witnessed another gathering, although not quite as big as the one at the Minar-e-Pakistan at Naudero on the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. The occasion was hyped due to two reasons. One, it was the last show of strength in 2012 for the PPP in its stronghold, and two, because Bilawal, her son, was being launched in formal politics. The turnout was as expected quite large enough and Bilawal was predictably the attraction. Bilawal, under training, spoke in Urdu and as far as the language was concerned, did a good job. He was fluent and grammatically bearable. However, the content of the rehearsed speech was disappointing. It had the same echo of his parents’ woes of state and non-state actors going beyond their limits, the judiciary not being fair, but most of all, still the past glory of the Bhutto brand and appealing to people’s loyalty to it. More pleasantly surprising would have been if we had this young, fresh face talking about a break from the past, being different from the others by being positive and bringing in a fresh slogan of hope, if it had been about making people think that yes, this may be dynastic politics but maybe this young man is more than just a leftover of the Bhutto legacy. Unfortunately, the complete rehearsed fluency of the speech made it obvious that he is being trained and advised by people who are worshippers of the status quo and would never let him think outside the Bhutto box.

The challenge of long distance leadership is that when they sit in the comfortable environment of foreign shores and talk about bringing a change in the uncomfortable environment of Pakistan, it will not resonate with the majority of people living in Pakistan. Thus, whether it is the telephonic connectivity of Altaf Hussain, or TV connectivity of General Pervez Musharraf, the fact that they are not facing the situation in Pakistan will always weaken their rhetoric of patriotism. Similarly Dr Qadri’s dual citizenship, his choice of living in Canada and Bilawal’s rare appearances in Pakistan all lead to the question in the minds of an ordinary citizen: how can these people talk of change when they have chosen to be away from the challenges of an unsafe and insecure environment?

Leadership at the end of the day is not a noun but a verb. You have to lead the way in dangerous waters to give your followers the inspiration of trusting you to steer you out of danger to safer shores when tough times come. No matter how good your rhetoric is and no matter how rehearsed your speech is, when there is dichotomy in what you say and what you do, there will be disconnect between how far and how long people will follow you. The true challenge of change is how many of those who want to qualify as the change catalysts are really examples of sacrifice and change themselves.

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