On the night of July 25, 2018, when red, green and white flags were being waved across the country in celebration, our (then unofficial) Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing the nation said: ‘we will run Pakistan like it has never been run before.’ That night, the possibility of a corruption free nation, with jobs for the youth, houses for the homeless and justice for the poor, was on the brink of existence. Let us call this idea ‘The Great Pakistani Dream.’
Now dreams are a powerful experience. They can shake up a man in ways reality cannot. For over twenty years, the former cricketer and his party members struggled to see the day, this ideology of theirs would bloom amongst the people. Today I know several men who closed up shop during July this year, to devote their days to PTI’s campaign because they believed in the great Pakistani dream.
However, many renowned analysts argue that Imran Khan’s vision of a ‘naya Pakistan’ can never come true; it is simply a trick to gain and maintain popularity amongst the struggling classes. And this is not surprising given PTI’s various u-turns since forming the government- e.g. the exemptions for non-tax filers. Alternatively, you have the passionate ‘insafiaans’ willing to justify every action taken by PTI, including the use of a helicopter being cheaper than several cars. It would be foolish to pursue either extreme.
PTI’s main concern at the moment should not be fulfilling the great Pakistani dream. On the contrary, the government must focus on keeping it alive and balancing it against the bitter realities of Pakistan’s current condition. The great Pakistani dream is mandatory to prevent people from agreeing to live in despair. Previous governments rendered the ordinary man impotent: unable to afford groceries, unable to access basic necessities, unable to register an FIR without bribery. He felt powerless and alienated in a country he called home.
Some of this was undone by PTI’s Great Pakistani Dream where ordinary men like Attaullah, a mere headmaster of Bab-e-Ilm School, could contest and win from NA-250. However, PTI had to balance this principle with the unpleasant necessity of ‘electables’. Similarly, despite always blaming those who had been running Karachi for the city’s dilapidated condition, PTI was compelled to hand over the Ministry of Law and Justice- a key component in the democratic setup- to MQM’s Farogh Naseem for practical purposes.
There is a big difference between desires and abilities; a morally correct decision may not always be a feasible one. Having learnt this lesson during the 2013 and 2018, general elections, PTI must now tread carefully. They have shown the people a dream. But they cannot ignore the mirror. The trick lies in juggling the two contradicting but yet necessary balls together. And PTI is currently struggling with this.
Many renowned analysts argue that Imran Khan’s vision of a ‘naya Pakistan’ can never come true; it is simply a trick to gain and maintain popularity amongst the struggling classes. And this is not surprising given PTI’s various u-turns since forming the government
Opening the Governor House to public and cutting back on expensive meals are great visual acts. Their impacts are immediate and make the common man finally feel valuable in a system which has long exploited them. Previously the people had a Prime Minister whose daughter wore Gucci slippers worth 450 pounds- almost 72,500 rupees. Now they have a Prime Minister who, according to his wife, owns only three suits- neither of which are in great condition. Earlier the Ministers had endless protocols. Today pictures of our Foreign Minister standing in line at the airport like an ordinary man are circulated on social media. However, the benefits of such equitable social policies are being overshadowed by the financial burdens being placed upon the people.
Pakistan is in a dire economic state and the journey to a better place is going to be a rough one. But PTI did not prepare the people for this. The IMF has stated that Pakistan needs to ‘further increase gas and power tariffs’ to stabilise the situation alongside tightening the monetary policy. However, recent increase in gas prices by the government has already received much backlash. Due to this decision it is the nation’s poorest which are suffering the most. And this is not what the people were promised.
PTI cannot make miracles happen overnight and it didn’t promise to do so either. However, they reiterated the possibility of a perfect ‘naya Pakistan’ so often and so thoroughly, that the difficulties to be faced first in reaching the wonderful destination took a back seat. And now PTI is finding itself in hot waters. Imran Khan’s Great Pakistani Dream is vital to push for betterment and must be kept alive. However, PTI must now quickly learn to find a balance between the ideal and the real if they are to continue governing successfully. Cosmetic acts such as turning the PM hose into a university alone will not be sufficient. Something must be done to offer the people some form of financial relief no matter how minute it may be.
PTI has potential but it is far too early to judge the party’s achievements or success rate. Nonetheless, soon time will no longer be a justification if the party continues to waste it on detailing the opposition’s dirty past. Accusing previous Ministers is futile because their corrupt practices are nothing new. The people are already well aware of how badly past governments failed. Every hour spent without electricity, every day spent without water is a reminder of this. And if PTI it is to retain their popularity and prevent itself from landing in the same category of failure, it must make policies which bring the bitter reality of life in Pakistan closer to ‘the great Pakistani dream’ for a common man.
The writer is an LSE graduate and Director at The Other Side-Pakistan. She tweets @mawish_m
Published in Daily Times, October 9th 2018.