Again, I was there today at the democratic political mass protest at Islamabad, led by the cricket star turned politician Imran Khan and the religious scholar Dr Tahir Ul Qadri. The atmosphere at these mass protests can not be described in the words, but could only be sensed. The scenes were historic and moods were defiant in the protests now entering its 8/9th day yet the electricity in the crowds was clearly of highest voltage irrespective of the hot and highly humid weather. The participants at the twin protests are demanding a system overhaul in essence at Pakistan in the face of a society and government engulfed in nepotism and corruption. But the style of this demand is like never seen before in the history of Pakistan. The crowds there includes people of all ages but mostly youth in concurrence with the demographic statistics of Pakistan. They belonged to all the various classes of Pakistan from the very top to bottom. However, they all had one thing in common at both the protests, they wanted a true progressive change in the governance at Pakistan and restore their country into the dream that was once seen by Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal and brought into reality under the able leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinah. It got lost from the death of Mr Muhammad Ali Jinah in the earliest year of Pakistan's inception after independence from the British colonial rule which he led against the major opposition of Hindu Indians.
Pakistan as it stands today is a typical third world corrupt autocracy where power lies with the richest and access to government is for sale. Anyone who has enough black money can buy his way to power, only to plunder national wealth in the name of development loans. How the system still survives? and still breathing? is owing to the complicated power dynamics of Pakistan, where the actual power is shared between the Politicians, Judiciary and Military led establishment. The first and the last stake holders are the one who are always in a tug of war where obviously the mightier wins at most. Since last seven years the politicians are sitting at the throne while this period saw Pakistan deteriorating into an abyss of troubles. National debt rose drastically while inflation hit rock bottom in an economy where Politicians were busy looking after each other's interest foremost. Mass corruption and mismanagement saw the kind of governance which led to Pakistani population's discontent in general. Under the scenario the voices of Imran Khan and Dr Tahir Ul Qadri emerged as the singular hope for the educated and aware masses while both these leaders masterfully capitalized on the bad governance decisions and mismanagement of the Nawaz Sharif led government while his younger brother's government at Punjab province murdered fourteen innocent male and mostly female workers of Dr Qadri in cold blood at Lahore.
This is a genuinely politically and democratically aware mass movement with hundred of thousands of volunteer crowds present to state their support with both these leaders. This is a movement for a true democratic change in the governance model where accountability is demanded for everyone with a transparent honest rule of Law and Justice for all which is seriously lacking in the present system. This is a move of Pakistani nationalist crowd who wants to see a free and fair system based on merit and honesty which enforces loyalty to the masses above every other allegiances for rulers.
Dr Tahir Ul Qadri and Imran Khan are playing with the public sentiments of disgust towards a system bogged in hypocrisy and nepotism promoting rampant corruption down to grass rout level starting from the very top. Imran khan masterfully challenged the international financial institutions with threats of civil disobedience and declared any further loan to the Nawaz Sharif regime as an "Odious Loan". The Nawaz Sharif government critically depends on local and foreign borrowing of Rs 6 billion per day in a fast depleting foreign reserves treasury. If the lenders confidence is shaken which it should be by the open challenge declaring all loans to the present regime not to be repaid if Imran Khan comes to power under the category of "Odious Loans" as per the international law, Nawaz Sharif's ability to financially manage the government will vanish in days.
Mr Khan played skillfully under the seasoned advisory of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood, with the anti Americans sentiments at Pakistan while he declared Nawaz Sharif a traitor for the US state department issued a statement in his support. Nawaz Sharif is fast loosing space on the power turf to the ever powerful Pakistani Military. The situation as analyzed by this scribe 11 days ago stands as it was stated, with the Pakistani Military emerging as the real broker of the political dead lock at Islamabad. The protests are spreading fast across the country but it remains peaceful and within democratic norms. However, this is exactly what the opposition to these protests is "Not". The lust of power, arrogance and greed are the motivations for the kind of people mostly who opposes any viable change in the prevailing corrupt system which serves their vested interests at best. They mock the present protests which is fast gaining momentum even against a campaign to malign this volunteer movement by the government.
The government is but forced into inaction towards any crackdown on these mass protests which they crave dearly, but would bring upon them the wrath of the military boots if they dare. Besides that the senior police officers have refused to obey any such government orders to use force against the crowds at these movement without the orders being given in written form. This attitude of the civil servants is the response of the Sharif brothers autocratic hypocritical rule.
Nawaz Sharif regime is playing its last few cards to retain their hold on power with the charges of mass corruption and murder awaiting down the throne. Their families have already left the country and moved abroad where their huge actual assets lie accumulated through mega corruption in true Pakistani present political style plundering the national wealth with both hands. Pakistanis are tired of this system marred with the stink of malfeasance and injustice. They truly require a change to survive as a Nation State for which they are out there on the streets braving all odds. The momentum of this mass movement is building up by the day across the country in the face of a payola opposition threatening and intimidating these aspirants of change in this graft system.
Political fever is high on the beats of patriotic and political music in these protests with "dancing and chanting crowds". These are the definite winds of progressive change where masses gather daily for long hours including women, handicapped people and the elderly to young.
Whatever the specific or legal issues and its solutions being debated across the board for the resolution of this stand off and the role of different stake holders and their respective point of view, it is the beginning of the aspired change by these masses present at these protests and their families back home. The public sentiments will direct the outcome of this standoff at Islamabad with the Army sooner or latter forced to intervene. The Nawaz Sharif Clan and the system through which they rule, lacks the capacity to handle the upright demands of these crowds as spelled by their leaders Imran Khan and Dr Qadri. They are demanding a system overhaul through constitutional amendments and electoral reforms with transparent form of government on modern established western democratic trends with across the board accountability. These demands threatens the very foundations of Pakistani political system in vogue based on partisanship. These demands can only be enforced through the kind of force visible in the eyes of these mass protesters. It has to be done now is the call and the air smells of a revolution. Time is ticking for the Nawaz Sharif regime and its cronies who are fast loosing nerves.....................
Pakistan as it stands today is a typical third world corrupt autocracy where power lies with the richest and access to government is for sale. Anyone who has enough black money can buy his way to power, only to plunder national wealth in the name of development loans. How the system still survives? and still breathing? is owing to the complicated power dynamics of Pakistan, where the actual power is shared between the Politicians, Judiciary and Military led establishment. The first and the last stake holders are the one who are always in a tug of war where obviously the mightier wins at most. Since last seven years the politicians are sitting at the throne while this period saw Pakistan deteriorating into an abyss of troubles. National debt rose drastically while inflation hit rock bottom in an economy where Politicians were busy looking after each other's interest foremost. Mass corruption and mismanagement saw the kind of governance which led to Pakistani population's discontent in general. Under the scenario the voices of Imran Khan and Dr Tahir Ul Qadri emerged as the singular hope for the educated and aware masses while both these leaders masterfully capitalized on the bad governance decisions and mismanagement of the Nawaz Sharif led government while his younger brother's government at Punjab province murdered fourteen innocent male and mostly female workers of Dr Qadri in cold blood at Lahore.
This is a genuinely politically and democratically aware mass movement with hundred of thousands of volunteer crowds present to state their support with both these leaders. This is a movement for a true democratic change in the governance model where accountability is demanded for everyone with a transparent honest rule of Law and Justice for all which is seriously lacking in the present system. This is a move of Pakistani nationalist crowd who wants to see a free and fair system based on merit and honesty which enforces loyalty to the masses above every other allegiances for rulers.
Dr Tahir Ul Qadri and Imran Khan are playing with the public sentiments of disgust towards a system bogged in hypocrisy and nepotism promoting rampant corruption down to grass rout level starting from the very top. Imran khan masterfully challenged the international financial institutions with threats of civil disobedience and declared any further loan to the Nawaz Sharif regime as an "Odious Loan". The Nawaz Sharif government critically depends on local and foreign borrowing of Rs 6 billion per day in a fast depleting foreign reserves treasury. If the lenders confidence is shaken which it should be by the open challenge declaring all loans to the present regime not to be repaid if Imran Khan comes to power under the category of "Odious Loans" as per the international law, Nawaz Sharif's ability to financially manage the government will vanish in days.
Mr Khan played skillfully under the seasoned advisory of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood, with the anti Americans sentiments at Pakistan while he declared Nawaz Sharif a traitor for the US state department issued a statement in his support. Nawaz Sharif is fast loosing space on the power turf to the ever powerful Pakistani Military. The situation as analyzed by this scribe 11 days ago stands as it was stated, with the Pakistani Military emerging as the real broker of the political dead lock at Islamabad. The protests are spreading fast across the country but it remains peaceful and within democratic norms. However, this is exactly what the opposition to these protests is "Not". The lust of power, arrogance and greed are the motivations for the kind of people mostly who opposes any viable change in the prevailing corrupt system which serves their vested interests at best. They mock the present protests which is fast gaining momentum even against a campaign to malign this volunteer movement by the government.
The government is but forced into inaction towards any crackdown on these mass protests which they crave dearly, but would bring upon them the wrath of the military boots if they dare. Besides that the senior police officers have refused to obey any such government orders to use force against the crowds at these movement without the orders being given in written form. This attitude of the civil servants is the response of the Sharif brothers autocratic hypocritical rule.
Nawaz Sharif regime is playing its last few cards to retain their hold on power with the charges of mass corruption and murder awaiting down the throne. Their families have already left the country and moved abroad where their huge actual assets lie accumulated through mega corruption in true Pakistani present political style plundering the national wealth with both hands. Pakistanis are tired of this system marred with the stink of malfeasance and injustice. They truly require a change to survive as a Nation State for which they are out there on the streets braving all odds. The momentum of this mass movement is building up by the day across the country in the face of a payola opposition threatening and intimidating these aspirants of change in this graft system.
Political fever is high on the beats of patriotic and political music in these protests with "dancing and chanting crowds". These are the definite winds of progressive change where masses gather daily for long hours including women, handicapped people and the elderly to young.
Whatever the specific or legal issues and its solutions being debated across the board for the resolution of this stand off and the role of different stake holders and their respective point of view, it is the beginning of the aspired change by these masses present at these protests and their families back home. The public sentiments will direct the outcome of this standoff at Islamabad with the Army sooner or latter forced to intervene. The Nawaz Sharif Clan and the system through which they rule, lacks the capacity to handle the upright demands of these crowds as spelled by their leaders Imran Khan and Dr Qadri. They are demanding a system overhaul through constitutional amendments and electoral reforms with transparent form of government on modern established western democratic trends with across the board accountability. These demands threatens the very foundations of Pakistani political system in vogue based on partisanship. These demands can only be enforced through the kind of force visible in the eyes of these mass protesters. It has to be done now is the call and the air smells of a revolution. Time is ticking for the Nawaz Sharif regime and its cronies who are fast loosing nerves.....................
Well thought, well written and very mature conclusion. Truly a voice of every Pakistani. Let's accept that Imran Khan is fighting for a cause that is just and for a system that will root out the corrupt political legacy this nation has become so accustomed to. This is the only chance we have to rid ourselves of elitist politics. Support IK to save Pakistan. If we don't step out today, we are doomed forever. God bless Pakistan.
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