Pakistan's new democracy with many challenges

Kshitiz Kant

Immediately after creating the separate state of Pakistan, founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah realized the harm of founding the nation on the tenets of Islam and warned the countrymen about it. One cannot build modern secular nation on the theocratic foundation. In his inaugural address as Head of State to the people of Pakistan, Mr Jinnah said “You may belong to any religion, caste or creed. That has nothing to do with the business of the state. If this idea was kept in mind, Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims not in the religious sense but in political sense as citizens of the state.” But it was like locking the stable after the fleeing of the horse.

The former cricketer, Imran Khan, after winning the general election in Pak politics 22 years of his struggle, is going to form new government. In his maiden speech to the nation he repeated the challenges said:

I pay my gratitude our Baloch brothers who joined this general election. The people of Pakistan must unite at this juncture.

My 22 years struggle emerged as a hope; gave me the chance to serve the nation

I am going to build a humanitarian Pakistan; the nation shall be like Medina.

The identity of country is by some rich person; rather the country is to be identified how much poor community is in happiness.

There will be policies of weaker sections' elevation; the work for the farmers and labourers shall be prime object to this government.

45% children are malnourish. 2.5 crore children are deprived from schools; the mortality of women has increased because of no proper treatment during child birth. We will change this situation; and will have the provision of clean water.

We have to learn from China which had got 70 crore people overcome from poverty within 3 years. How had China taken strong step on corruption to improve the condition of poor to eliminate the poverty? 400 Ministers have been arrested in 4 years.

It is first ever government which is intending to maintain the rule of law. There shall be no discrimination between poor and rich, who will break the law, shall be punished. The law shall maintain equality. The government and its ministers shall be accountable to their responsibilities.

The corruption has gutted the country like cancer. The governance system shall be rectified.

The economy is big challenge. The depreciation of Rupee is continued. Such slump in values of  Rupees than Dollors was never seen. The country is under debt. This happened because of not being done work under planning.

We will prepare a better atmosphere for business purpose. We will negotiate with Pak NRI to invest in Pakistan. They did not invest so far because of corruption.

Investors either are going to China or Dubai, not here; so there has been much unemployment here.

We will rule in such way as have never before done and this will take start itself. We will begin in simple way.

Rulers spend money for their highnesses…; spends for their visits; wrong utilization of fund is the reason why people don’t give the taxes.

I shall save the fund of common people. Our government will decide what have to do the PM's house. There will be tried a school to be built. I shall stay in a small house; our ministers will make their houses a hotel.

We have to overcome from economic crises. The business communities’ meets will chalk out plan. The tax system is to be improved. There is to be decrease in unemployment. The funds shall be spent on the human and skill development.

Foreign policy is a challenge. There is need of peace in Pakistan. There is need to reform our neighboring relation. There shall be strong relation with China.

Afghanis are much aggrieved with the Jehad. There is much need of peace to Afghanistan -- we need too! They have open frontiers.

There has been one sided relation with USA so far; now there is need of balance a relationship.

We will help to Saudi Arabia because they are always with us.

Sorry to hear that Indian Media propagandized me as a Bollywood villain. If we have to eliminate the poverty, we have to come close for trade and commerce.

There is big issue of Kashmir where the human rights are being violated. The people are facing since long. We will try to solve the matter. We will refrain from accusing each other.

If India is ready, we are ready to talk. If India goes ahead one step, we assure to move two steps ahead. There has been heretofore blame-game at all. We will solve the matter with talk.

We will initiate such system that will provide the chance of investment. We had built cancer hospital, the fund for it was given by you…; 70% treatment is free. We built university in the rural.

In case there has been any bungling in the election, we will set an inquiry. The election is unbiased. There have never been so many participants.

The Islamic glue is a big issue today in Pakistan which is big hurdle to keep the people of Pakistan together. If Islamic glue could unite all the Muslims, the Muslims of Arab world having common religion and language, would have formed one nation and would not have been divided into 2 dozen of countries.

Will these elections be a harbinger of political stability or will this be a short-lived experiment toward a mid-term election? Will the military establishment be happy letting the PTI rule over the Centre, KP and Punjab? And how will the other parties conduct themselves vis-à-vis the PTI?

It is widely believed that election outcomes are always pre-determined, and the victor always has the blessings of the country’s military establishment in Pakistan. Clearly though, there was something else working for Imran.

Pre-poll help aside, the voting itself appears to have been clean as was evident from the number of establishment favourites who lost. On the other hand, two leaders of the leftist, anti-establishment Pashtun Tahafuz Movement won from South Waziristan.

The two religious parties, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami and Jamat-e-Islami, performed miserably. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik, an extremist group led by the cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, and Hafiz Saeed’s Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, a front of the Jamat-ud-Dawa/Lashkar-e-Taiba, also failed to win a single seat. Aurangzeb Farooqi, a UN-designated terrorist of the Ahle Wal Sunnah Jamaat, was defeated by a woman candidate of the PTI.

The Pakistani Human Rights Commission concerns about flaws in the pre-voting electoral process is that it placed the constraints on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities’ stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “looks forward” to the formation of a new government in Pakistan and stressed the UN’s commitment to support Pakistan’s Election commission amid claims by a group of political parties of vote rigging.