Here I must relate a small story from early days of Internet, August 1993. When Supreme Court set aside President Ghulam Ishaq Khan's decision to sack the first government of PM Nawaz Sharif, some Indians at soc.culture.pakistan bulletin board congratulated Pakistanis on the Court's order to reverse Establishment's heavy handed interference in politics. The court decision was the first to support an elected government in Pakistan's history (as far as I can tell). This was the first time that I felt that some Indians genuinely want progress in Pakistan's democracy. I was a little confused too. They are the enemy & why would they want Pakistan to progress in political evolution? As time passed, I realized the rationale for their doing so. As two neighbors, we must engage & the quality of the said engagement depends upon the quality of political systems in the two countries. Many in Pakistan's intelligentsia also believed this, though this opinion mostly stayed obscure.
When I read posts by
@.King. &
@Wood I am reminded of those Indians who had shown optimism in 1993. Thank you gents for writing in favor of democratic development & evolution. I know that you may feel bewildered when you read reactionary responses. Please do know that a large part of Pakistan's population, especially in Punjab, has graduated to a level where they understand the value of political maturity. Mostly it is people who either support PPP or PML-N. But I see a growing number of mature & sensible PTI supporters slowly coming around to the view that Establishment's interference in politics is wrong. When IK took a hard turn towards Establishment politics in 2014, he lost many supporters like myself. Some smart ones had figured him out years ago & had been warning about his tendencies, but people like me had ignored all the signs & kept supporting him, believing that he was an agent of change.
In August 2014, we had to make a choice - it was either Pakistan & its constitution or PTI politics. Many of us chose Pakistan & its constitution over PTI & its brand of disruptive politics at the behest of Establishment. After almost 4 years of PTI's one-page rule, all our fears have come true. We see how petty politics & Establishment's lust for control has done to our country.
Though the price that Pakistan has paid is steep, we look at the silver lining here. This was a necessary education for many people who do not understand politics & role of Establishment in holding political evolution back. Pakistan now requires a steady hand after more than 5 years of induced instability. May we have that & may people learn to respect our Constitution & the process of establishing norms - vote of confidence being one such norm.
To all the PTI supporters: be angry at the Establishment for forsaking IK. But be angrier still at welcoming Establishment's interference on IK's behalf. If you learn this one lesson, then there is hope for future.
