What I admire about Imran Khan....

[GoUgandaCranes]

I actually had almost zero interest in Pakistan and the politics of the country except having a like for Khan as he was a former cricketing great (a sport which is my first love). As much as I revered IK the cricketer, however, IK the politician shared a pretty low but non-corrupt image in my head. Not to throw shade on posters in this forum but I used to read a lot about IK the politician here on this forum as this was my primary source of political news. Me being me used to give more value/credence to the counterview presented by certain posters (who I followed pretty diligently in the past) that made me believe that IK was a hack with no credibility and was basically the "Laadla (chosen one)" of the powerful military establishment.

It is only now when I've started following politics that I realize the true impact of Khan on our political landscape and I'm so proud of his struggle. He has taken politics out of the drawing rooms of the elite and given a stake in the country to the ordinary person on the streets. The face of the entire politics of Pakistan has been changed forever by the sheer will, determination, and bravery of a single person. I just saw pictures of a Pashtoon and a Baloch addressing a rally in Rawalpindi and the people were welcoming them as if they were some sort of superstars. The political rallies are now statements that offer a range of emotions from meme-worthy material that makes us laugh to a deeper solemn realization of the amount of frustration that is bottled within our society and is waiting to explode. I absolutely love that our women are now well-versed and taking part in politics; a silent 50% of our society that had previously no say or participation in deciding the fate of our country.

The true impact of this movement will probably take years to mature but I'm so glad that Pakistan has taken a first step in the right direction. We have issues of civil liberties and social norms which are very deep-rooted in the system, most of which we aren't even able to even comprehend yet. The good news is that while the chokehold of a few on the throbbing artery of our country is extremely tight, people in the matrix are finally waking up to the realization of its existence. It'll probably require much more time to reach a stage where we begin to take steps towards any sort of relief from this but the seeds of revolution are being sown right in front of our eyes and in some very small ways, we are also part of the process.

No one knows what is going to happen in the future but Shireen Mazari is going to wake up tomorrow to a set of new fans as she becomes an even brighter star in the galaxy of stars that are resisting the system. Defiance - the primary and most fundamental human attribute that ensures survival - will be thy name Dr. Mazarii, and that's what is the silver lining of all this doom and gloom as we live to continue the fight.

 

[Extra_Cover]

I actually had almost zero interest in Pakistan and the politics of the country except having a like for Khan as he was a former cricketing great (a sport which is my first love). As much as I revered IK the cricketer, however, IK the politician shared a pretty low but non-corrupt image in my head. Not to throw shade on posters in this forum but I used to read a lot about IK the politician here on this forum as this was my primary source of political news. Me being me used to give more value/credence to the counterview presented by certain posters (who I followed pretty diligently in the past) that made me believe that IK was a hack with no credibility and was basically the "Laadla (chosen one)" of the powerful military establishment.

It is only now when I've started following politics that I realize the true impact of Khan on our political landscape and I'm so proud of his struggle. He has taken politics out of the drawing rooms of the elite and given a stake in the country to the ordinary person on the streets. The face of the entire politics of Pakistan has been changed forever by the sheer will, determination, and bravery of a single person. I just saw pictures of a Pashtoon and a Baloch addressing a rally in Rawalpindi and the people were welcoming them as if they were some sort of superstars. The political rallies are now statements that offer a range of emotions from meme-worthy material that makes us laugh to a deeper solemn realization of the amount of frustration that is bottled within our society and is waiting to explode. I absolutely love that our women are now well-versed and taking part in politics; a silent 50% of our society that had previously no say or participation in deciding the fate of our country.

The true impact of this movement will probably take years to mature but I'm so glad that Pakistan has taken a first step in the right direction. We have issues of civil liberties and social norms which are very deep-rooted in the system, most of which we aren't even able to even comprehend yet. The good news is that while the chokehold of a few on the throbbing artery of our country is extremely tight, people in the matrix are finally waking up to the realization of its existence. It'll probably require much more time to reach a stage where we begin to take steps towards any sort of relief from this but the seeds of revolution are being sown right in front of our eyes and in some very small ways, we are also part of the process.

No one knows what is going to happen in the future but Shireen Mazari is going to wake up tomorrow to a set of new fans as she becomes an even brighter star in the galaxy of stars that are resisting the system. Defiance - the primary and most fundamental human attribute that ensures survival - will be thy name Dr. Mazarii, and that's what is the silver lining of all this doom and gloom as we live to continue the fight.

Thanks for writing this.

I have been a supporter of Khan and I admit honestly that he is neither an economist, scientist, doctor or anything else. He is not going to give the country the best economy or fiscal policies and neither he has expertise to improve technology accessibility across the country. However the legacy of Imran would be to bring true democracy into Pakistan by defeating the mafia of Sharif and Bhutto. He has already to a large degree broken the wheel that spun Sharif and Bhutto round and round every time it was spun. The politics and the future of Pakistan is truly now democratic and lies with the people representative of the country rather than elite royal families and for this the future generation of this country would be forever thankful to Khan.

 

[the Great Khan]

I actually had almost zero interest in Pakistan and the politics of the country except having a like for Khan as he was a former cricketing great (a sport which is my first love). As much as I revered IK the cricketer, however, IK the politician shared a pretty low but non-corrupt image in my head. Not to throw shade on posters in this forum but I used to read a lot about IK the politician here on this forum as this was my primary source of political news. Me being me used to give more value/credence to the counterview presented by certain posters (who I followed pretty diligently in the past) that made me believe that IK was a hack with no credibility and was basically the "Laadla (chosen one)" of the powerful military establishment.

It is only now when I've started following politics that I realize the true impact of Khan on our political landscape and I'm so proud of his struggle. He has taken politics out of the drawing rooms of the elite and given a stake in the country to the ordinary person on the streets. The face of the entire politics of Pakistan has been changed forever by the sheer will, determination, and bravery of a single person. I just saw pictures of a Pashtoon and a Baloch addressing a rally in Rawalpindi and the people were welcoming them as if they were some sort of superstars. The political rallies are now statements that offer a range of emotions from meme-worthy material that makes us laugh to a deeper solemn realization of the amount of frustration that is bottled within our society and is waiting to explode. I absolutely love that our women are now well-versed and taking part in politics; a silent 50% of our society that had previously no say or participation in deciding the fate of our country.

The true impact of this movement will probably take years to mature but I'm so glad that Pakistan has taken a first step in the right direction. We have issues of civil liberties and social norms which are very deep-rooted in the system, most of which we aren't even able to even comprehend yet. The good news is that while the chokehold of a few on the throbbing artery of our country is extremely tight, people in the matrix are finally waking up to the realization of its existence. It'll probably require much more time to reach a stage where we begin to take steps towards any sort of relief from this but the seeds of revolution are being sown right in front of our eyes and in some very small ways, we are also part of the process.

No one knows what is going to happen in the future but Shireen Mazari is going to wake up tomorrow to a set of new fans as she becomes an even brighter star in the galaxy of stars that are resisting the system. Defiance - the primary and most fundamental human attribute that ensures survival - will be thy name Dr. Mazarii, and that's what is the silver lining of all this doom and gloom as we live to continue the fight.

Great post..Your are spot on. What IK has done is what leaders and good politicians should do which is to get a complex message across in a simple way. His constant messaging is consistent and very straightforward so even a layman can understand.He has made a ricshaw wala an expert..thats his khubi..

and he is a stubborn determined SOB lol

 

[MenInG]

His biggest challenge is to see the game through to the next elections without imploding, and to keep his party members in check.

I feel the people with him now will remain loyal forever unlike the previous lot.

 

[Major]

Politics in pakistan was never something that took place in the drawing rooms of the elites..i dont know from where you even get this idea. Maybe in the country you live in thats where this happens but not in pakistan.

Women had no say? We have 60 seats reserved for women. This means, no matter what 60 females do they will get elected.

What right direction? The pti doesnt stand against the army, let me clear you that. Pti is against an army that doesnt support them, if tomr a general starts supporting them, they will happily sit in the laps of that general and turn a blind eye to what the army will do.

You seriously seem confused, especially due to the fact that which you admitted you form your political opinion on posters and not on news paper

 

[Itachi]

I actually had almost zero interest in Pakistan and the politics of the country

It is only now when I've started following politics that I realize the true impact of Khan on our political landscape and I'm so proud of his struggle

To be honest, from the above two quotes, it seems you never had any interest in Pakistan but you are using the word "our political landscape"..... So, suddenly patriotism got discovered whilst until now, you didn't want to do anything with Pakistan.

It seems there must be some "interesting element" needs to present in order to make you involve in Pakistan politics even as an audience. Today it is IK, tomorrow it can be some other element. But the base (i.e. Pakistan politics) doesn't seem to fall in those "interesting element" which can keep you sustain in affairs related to Pakistani politics.

 

[DRsohail]

Politics in pakistan was never something that took place in the drawing rooms of the elites..i dont know from where you even get this idea. Maybe in the country you live in thats where this happens but not in pakistan.

Women had no say? We have 60 seats reserved for women. This means, no matter what 60 females do they will get elected.

What right direction? The pti doesnt stand against the army, let me clear you that. Pti is against an army that doesnt support them, if tomr a general starts supporting them, they will happily sit in the laps of that general and turn a blind eye to what the army will do.

You seriously seem confused, especially due to the fact that which you admitted you form your political opinion on posters and not on news paper

Which bi party in Pakistan stands against the army??

 

[DRsohail]

Thanks for writing this.

I have been a supporter of Khan and I admit honestly that he is neither an economist, scientist, doctor or anything else. He is not going to give the country the best economy or fiscal policies and neither he has expertise to improve technology accessibility across the country. However the legacy of Imran would be to bring true democracy into Pakistan by defeating the mafia of Sharif and Bhutto. He has already to a large degree broken the wheel that spun Sharif and Bhutto round and round every time it was spun. The politics and the future of Pakistan is truly now democratic and lies with the people representative of the country rather than elite royal families and for this the future generation of this country would be forever thankful to Khan.

A good read, even I did not believe that he will challenge the establishment the way he did after his ouster, and people from rural to urban, from kids to 80 years old and women and students all have accepted and taken his message. good days ahead hopefully for our future.

 

[Technics 1210]

Before one can admire IK, one had to have been alive and aware during the pinnacle of his cricketing career. This means anyone born in the 90s has neither context nor understanding of his achievements as a Cricketer and individual; and this is vital because it was his career in Cricket that lead him politics. He was a rockstar even before he was PM of Pakistan.

His leadership qualities, never give up attitude, education, integrity, and honesty, put him above most Pakistanis anyways which is why he is resented by the Pakistanis who choose the corruption path.

What he has achieved in politics is nothing short of a miracle. He was PM, and now he has galvanised and inspired a generation of Pakistanis in the fight against corruption and dishonesty. The crowds he commands now ate nothing short of breathtaking.

So much so, with a revolution round the corner, his opponents and critics are desperately seeking to flee the Pakistan they claim to love. Such is the power of IK - and we have only completes the 2nd innings.

 

[MenInG]

If you cannot write a proper critique of OP then dont bother adding to this thread - we will simply delete.

 

[Major]

Before one can admire IK, one had to have been alive and aware during the pinnacle of his cricketing career. This means anyone born in the 90s has neither context nor understanding of his achievements as a Cricketer and individual; and this is vital because it was his career in Cricket that lead him politics. He was a rockstar even before he was PM of Pakistan.

His leadership qualities, never give up attitude, education, integrity, and honesty, put him above most Pakistanis anyways which is why he is resented by the Pakistanis who choose the corruption path.

What he has achieved in politics is nothing short of a miracle. He was PM, and now he has galvanised and inspired a generation of Pakistanis in the fight against corruption and dishonesty. The crowds he commands now ate nothing short of breathtaking.

So much so, with a revolution round the corner, his opponents and critics are desperately seeking to flee the Pakistan they claim to love. Such is the power of IK - and we have only completes the 2nd innings.

Funny how you make fun of the ukraine head of state for being a comedian turn politician yet here you praise a cricketer turn pm.

Atleast you admit he only became pm because of his cricketing career or else would never had become one.

Also you say that his education, attitude and integrity puts him above pakistanis. So you are claiming that pakistanis dont have integrity?

You living overseas, does an overseas indian who is educated and belongs to the upper class due to the social mobility he achieve through education and employment place him or her above you?
Im only using your own standard.

Also, i live in this country. Sorry to burst your bubble, no revolution is going on. It is slightly sunny here in is Islamabad, but sorry no reevolution

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

To be honest, from the above two quotes, it seems you never had any interest in Pakistan but you are using the word "our political landscape"..... So, suddenly patriotism got discovered whilst until now, you didn't want to do anything with Pakistan.

It seems there must be some "interesting element" needs to present in order to make you involve in Pakistan politics even as an audience. Today it is IK, tomorrow it can be some other element. But the base (i.e. Pakistan politics) doesn't seem to fall in those "interesting element" which can keep you sustain in affairs related to Pakistani politics.

Mzybe you should critique the whole post then instead of cherry pickiing to suit your own interests.

 

[wasim-fan]

One of the challenges of sub continental politics especially has been personality based politics which makes demigogues of anyone with some exceptional skills. And this is true in all fields. Be it politics, cricket, arts etc. It has taken me some time to understand the key difference between first and third world and why that gap doesn't close.

One of the key differences is strength of institutions and first principles based order. First principles are key axioms around which we build frameworks for society. Ideally this should come from constitution.

The whole Imran Khan phenomena has only confirmed this further to me. Looking at my posts from 10 years back and sheer belief and adoration that I had for this man. I have grown wiser and more aware that Imran is no better or worse than anyone else. His idealism is as ideal as situation would allow and would change when context changes like any other politician. He wants strong institutions till it works for him. He seeks justice for all but that should confirm to what he considers just.

In my view, I have wised up and gone beyond Imran or anyone or two persons. History is full of such movements and people across the world which has only lead to death, destruction and anarchy. A politician can be loathed or critiqued but not adored. A politician by very nature will work on fissures in society to gain or remain in power. And Imran is as much a politician as anyone is. His cricketing past or Shaukhat Khanum shouldnt inform the present. If your goal is better is Pakistan, you must first ask the question what does "better" mean and then ask who can do it.

This cult of personality has to go. Even if you choose Imran Khan over other, critique him and his govt hard. They have to manipulate their followers and critiques. That's their job. Check for consistency of policy and message. It's difficult for hyper emotional nation to change this. But I am pretty sure what is going to happen in next 5-7 years is going to make large % of youth change their perspective. It is going to be painful but sometimes the only way to make people listen and understand is pain.

 

[Major]

One of the challenges of sub continental politics especially has been personality based politics which makes demigogues of anyone with some exceptional skills. And this is true in all fields. Be it politics, cricket, arts etc. It has taken me some time to understand the key difference between first and third world and why that gap doesn't close.

One of the key differences is strength of institutions and first principles based order. First principles are key axioms around which we build frameworks for society. Ideally this should come from constitution.

The whole Imran Khan phenomena has only confirmed this further to me. Looking at my posts from 10 years back and sheer belief and adoration that I had for this man. I have grown wiser and more aware that Imran is no better or worse than anyone else. His idealism is as ideal as situation would allow and would change when context changes like any other politician. He wants strong institutions till it works for him. He seeks justice for all but that should confirm to what he considers just.

In my view, I have wised up and gone beyond Imran or anyone or two persons. History is full of such movements and people across the world which has only lead to death, destruction and anarchy. A politician can be loathed or critiqued but not adored. A politician by very nature will work on fissures in society to gain or remain in power. And Imran is as much a politician as anyone is. His cricketing past or Shaukhat Khanum shouldnt inform the present. If your goal is better is Pakistan, you must first ask the question what does "better" mean and then ask who can do it.

This cult of personality has to go. Even if you choose Imran Khan over other, critique him and his govt hard. They have to manipulate their followers and critiques. That's their job. Check for consistency of policy and message. It's difficult for hyper emotional nation to change this. But I am pretty sure what is going to happen in next 5-7 years is going to make large % of youth change their perspective. It is going to be painful but sometimes the only way to make people listen and understand is pain.

Top post. I absolutely agree that he wants strong institutes till it works for him and people will conform to his ideas no matter what.

It is a party with no ideology.

The recent anti bajwa narrative they have started is not anti army. Its anti bajwa. They pretending as if its anti army.

If faiz hamid becomes coas(not gonna happen), than they are not gonna whine about army intervening.

According to pti, the rules should benefit only them. This was the party that gave the extention amd this was the party that faced the humilation on april 9th 2022.

Parties survive on ideology, and pti is there only till imran.

 

[MenInG]

If you cannot write a proper critique of OP then dont bother adding to this thread - we will simply delete.

Once again - see this

 

[Technics 1210]

Funny how you make fun of the ukraine head of state for being a comedian turn politician yet here you praise a cricketer turn pm.

Atleast you admit he only became pm because of his cricketing career or else would never had become one.

Also you say that his education, attitude and integrity puts him above pakistanis. So you are claiming that pakistanis dont have integrity?

You living overseas, does an overseas indian who is educated and belongs to the upper class due to the social mobility he achieve through education and employment place him or her above you?
Im only using your own standard.

Also, i live in this country. Sorry to burst your bubble, no revolution is going on. It is slightly sunny here in is Islamabad, but sorry no reevolution

Ukraine has nothing to do with this thread.

So what if IK was famous before he turned to politics?

Ronald Reagan was an actor then US President.

Donald Trump was a TV celebrity then US President.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao, was voted into Philippines Senate.

Arnold S was actor before Governor of California.

The list goes on. If you understood politics then you'd understand why popularity is vital in politics.

And you are wrong, I lived in Pakistan, but you have never lived in the West to understand the prowess IK during his prime. I doubt you were alive either.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

One of the challenges of sub continental politics especially has been personality based politics which makes demigogues of anyone with some exceptional skills. And this is true in all fields. Be it politics, cricket, arts etc. It has taken me some time to understand the key difference between first and third world and why that gap doesn't close.

One of the key differences is strength of institutions and first principles based order. First principles are key axioms around which we build frameworks for society. Ideally this should come from constitution.

The whole Imran Khan phenomena has only confirmed this further to me. Looking at my posts from 10 years back and sheer belief and adoration that I had for this man. I have grown wiser and more aware that Imran is no better or worse than anyone else. His idealism is as ideal as situation would allow and would change when context changes like any other politician. He wants strong institutions till it works for him. He seeks justice for all but that should confirm to what he considers just.

In my view, I have wised up and gone beyond Imran or anyone or two persons. History is full of such movements and people across the world which has only lead to death, destruction and anarchy. A politician can be loathed or critiqued but not adored. A politician by very nature will work on fissures in society to gain or remain in power. And Imran is as much a politician as anyone is. His cricketing past or Shaukhat Khanum shouldnt inform the present. If your goal is better is Pakistan, you must first ask the question what does "better" mean and then ask who can do it.

This cult of personality has to go. Even if you choose Imran Khan over other, critique him and his govt hard. They have to manipulate their followers and critiques. That's their job. Check for consistency of policy and message. It's difficult for hyper emotional nation to change this. But I am pretty sure what is going to happen in next 5-7 years is going to make large % of youth change their perspective. It is going to be painful but sometimes the only way to make people listen and understand is pain.

Imran Khan's whole philosophy on life has been built on priniciple. Whether you agree with those or not might reflect your own background which is fair enough.

 

[Syed1]

Thanks for this post OP Shahab



In short IK is the only hope of the Pakistani nation to once and for all say alwida to dynastic politics and mafia houses of Sharif and Bhutto/Zardari. Now with this establishment backed coup against his government, IK is also the only hope of cutting the establishment to size and bringing it under the control of the civilian government.


May Allah grant him strength to take on this challenge and may he gain success Inshallah. The hopes of the nation rest with one man.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Top post. I absolutely agree that he wants strong institutes till it works for him and people will conform to his ideas no matter what.

It is a party with no ideology.

The recent anti bajwa narrative they have started is not anti army. Its anti bajwa. They pretending as if its anti army.

If faiz hamid becomes coas(not gonna happen), than they are not gonna whine about army intervening.

According to pti, the rules should benefit only them. This was the party that gave the extention amd this was the party that faced the humilation on april 9th 2022.

Parties survive on ideology, and pti is there only till imran.

What does that tell you about the ideology of the two major parties before Imran then?

 

[KB]

An interesting point of view, but I think the following needs some refinement and revision:

He has taken politics out of the drawing rooms of the elite and given a stake in the country to the ordinary person on the streets.

Popular participation in politics is not new. We can trace it at least back to the 1940s when the Muslim League campaigned for Pakistan. Processions and the direct action campaigns in the Frontier and the Punjab mobilised significant number of Muslims. All this had an impact in the 1946 elections, with historian Ian Talbot, writing that “the politics of biraderi and local power were by no means destroyed in 1946, but they had to compete, often unsuccessfully, with the Muslim League's ideological appeals.” It was participation that extended to women, with David Willmer, stating that the League’s campaign against the Unionist government in the Punjab in 1946 represented “the first such mass public mobilization of Muslim women anywhere in pre-independent India.”

In the aftermath of partition, politics reverted very much back to the politics of local power. But in the 1960s, mass mobilisation was crucial to undermining the Ayub Khan regime. Like her brother, Fatima Jinnah drew enormous crowds. Ayub’s control of the machinery government and a restricted franchise secured him victory in the presidential election of 1965, but his moral legitimacy to rule was diminished. And popular pressures on Ayub did not subside following the election. Opposition to the Ayub regime united disparate groups.

In the elections of 1970, it has been argued that in the Punjab there was significant mobilisation along the lines of ideology with a critical mass voting not so much for individuals but for a party and programme. Phillip Jones, who has studied the rise of the PPP, declared that “The People’s Party movement, where it was most intense, as in Punjab, was the breakthrough of the common man into the political arena and signalled a new age of participatory politics in Pakistan.” This was based on a careful study of returns on a polling station level.

But the Bhutto government was a disappointment. And in the Zia era there was again a reversion back to politics of local power, encouraged by the 1985 elections that were on a ‘non-party’ basis.

Based on research - admittedly restricted to the Punjab - what has emerged strongly is an increasing emphasis on ‘service delivery’. Of course local delivery has always mattered, but the evidence is that the average voter is now able to be far more demanding. The power of the landed is still evident in rural Pakistan, but as Shandana Khan Mohmand has argued, “the rural traditional elites have had to change their political strategies based on structural changes in rural Pakistan over the last many decades. Landholdings have reduced through fragmentation and sales, non-farm job markets have expanded and have come closer to villages through the growth of small towns, and democratisation has intensified political competition and made many interactions subject to the logic of electoral politics.”

Voters have more power to seek candidates that can ‘deliver’, that can provide jobs or sort out local "thana katcheri" issues, or those who can provide access to basic public services - electricity, paved streets, sanitation drains, health services, good schools etc.

In this style of politics, the programme and the ideology are not so central to politics compared with local and tangible service delivery. Connections that candidates have with the agencies of the state matter greatly in this context. Indeed, we might even go so far as to say that the calling card of PML-N in the Punjab is now basically ‘service delivery’ - the ability to get things done locally (as well as flashy infrastructure development programmes.)

It is in this context, that we may revise the potential impact of PTI as not so much pioneering popular participation (hard to sustain on the basis of the historical record), but providing a fresh forum and focus for mobilisation based on “extra-local” (though not necessarily ideologically coherent) considerations. But I do not know how deep and far this support to the party beyond purely local considerations really is. We may get a clue in the next elections.

 

[DRsohail]

An interesting point of view, but I think the following needs some refinement and revision:



Popular participation in politics is not new. We can trace it at least back to the 1940s when the Muslim League campaigned for Pakistan. Processions and the direct action campaigns in the Frontier and the Punjab mobilised significant number of Muslims. All this had an impact in the 1946 elections, with historian Ian Talbot, writing that “the politics of biraderi and local power were by no means destroyed in 1946, but they had to compete, often unsuccessfully, with the Muslim League's ideological appeals.” It was participation that extended to women, with David Willmer, stating that the League’s campaign against the Unionist government in the Punjab in 1946 represented “the first such mass public mobilization of Muslim women anywhere in pre-independent India.”

In the aftermath of partition, politics reverted very much back to the politics of local power. But in the 1960s, mass mobilisation was crucial to undermining the Ayub Khan regime. Like her brother, Fatima Jinnah drew enormous crowds. Ayub’s control of the machinery government and a restricted franchise secured him victory in the presidential election of 1965, but his moral legitimacy to rule was diminished. And popular pressures on Ayub did not subside following the election. Opposition to the Ayub regime united disparate groups.

In the elections of 1970, it has been argued that in the Punjab there was significant mobilisation along the lines of ideology with a critical mass voting not so much for individuals but for a party and programme. Phillip Jones, who has studied the rise of the PPP, declared that “The People’s Party movement, where it was most intense, as in Punjab, was the breakthrough of the common man into the political arena and signalled a new age of participatory politics in Pakistan.” This was based on a careful study of returns on a polling station level.

But the Bhutto government was a disappointment. And in the Zia era there was again a reversion back to politics of local power, encouraged by the 1985 elections that were on a ‘non-party’ basis.

Based on research - admittedly restricted to the Punjab - what has emerged strongly is an increasing emphasis on ‘service delivery’. Of course local delivery has always mattered, but the evidence is that the average voter is now able to be far more demanding. The power of the landed is still evident in rural Pakistan, but as Shandana Khan Mohmand has argued, “the rural traditional elites have had to change their political strategies based on structural changes in rural Pakistan over the last many decades. Landholdings have reduced through fragmentation and sales, non-farm job markets have expanded and have come closer to villages through the growth of small towns, and democratisation has intensified political competition and made many interactions subject to the logic of electoral politics.”

Voters have more power to seek candidates that can ‘deliver’, that can provide jobs or sort out local "thana katcheri" issues, or those who can provide access to basic public services - electricity, paved streets, sanitation drains, health services, good schools etc.

In this style of politics, the programme and the ideology are not so central to politics compared with local and tangible service delivery. Connections that candidates have with the agencies of the state matter greatly in this context. Indeed, we might even go so far as to say that the calling card of PML-N in the Punjab is now basically ‘service delivery’ - the ability to get things done locally (as well as flashy infrastructure development programmes.)

It is in this context, that we may revise the potential impact of PTI as not so much pioneering popular participation (hard to sustain on the basis of the historical record), but providing a fresh forum and focus for mobilisation based on “extra-local” (though not necessarily ideologically coherent) considerations. But I do not know how deep and far this support to the party beyond purely local considerations really is. We may get a clue in the next elections.

Great, our last lines stay true for PTI as I think they are electing candidates based on mobilization but not sure about Punjab.

 

[MenInG]

An interesting point of view, but I think the following needs some refinement and revision:



Popular participation in politics is not new. We can trace it at least back to the 1940s when the Muslim League campaigned for Pakistan. Processions and the direct action campaigns in the Frontier and the Punjab mobilised significant number of Muslims. All this had an impact in the 1946 elections, with historian Ian Talbot, writing that “the politics of biraderi and local power were by no means destroyed in 1946, but they had to compete, often unsuccessfully, with the Muslim League's ideological appeals.” It was participation that extended to women, with David Willmer, stating that the League’s campaign against the Unionist government in the Punjab in 1946 represented “the first such mass public mobilization of Muslim women anywhere in pre-independent India.”

In the aftermath of partition, politics reverted very much back to the politics of local power. But in the 1960s, mass mobilisation was crucial to undermining the Ayub Khan regime. Like her brother, Fatima Jinnah drew enormous crowds. Ayub’s control of the machinery government and a restricted franchise secured him victory in the presidential election of 1965, but his moral legitimacy to rule was diminished. And popular pressures on Ayub did not subside following the election. Opposition to the Ayub regime united disparate groups.

In the elections of 1970, it has been argued that in the Punjab there was significant mobilisation along the lines of ideology with a critical mass voting not so much for individuals but for a party and programme. Phillip Jones, who has studied the rise of the PPP, declared that “The People’s Party movement, where it was most intense, as in Punjab, was the breakthrough of the common man into the political arena and signalled a new age of participatory politics in Pakistan.” This was based on a careful study of returns on a polling station level.

But the Bhutto government was a disappointment. And in the Zia era there was again a reversion back to politics of local power, encouraged by the 1985 elections that were on a ‘non-party’ basis.

Based on research - admittedly restricted to the Punjab - what has emerged strongly is an increasing emphasis on ‘service delivery’. Of course local delivery has always mattered, but the evidence is that the average voter is now able to be far more demanding. The power of the landed is still evident in rural Pakistan, but as Shandana Khan Mohmand has argued, “the rural traditional elites have had to change their political strategies based on structural changes in rural Pakistan over the last many decades. Landholdings have reduced through fragmentation and sales, non-farm job markets have expanded and have come closer to villages through the growth of small towns, and democratisation has intensified political competition and made many interactions subject to the logic of electoral politics.”

Voters have more power to seek candidates that can ‘deliver’, that can provide jobs or sort out local "thana katcheri" issues, or those who can provide access to basic public services - electricity, paved streets, sanitation drains, health services, good schools etc.

In this style of politics, the programme and the ideology are not so central to politics compared with local and tangible service delivery. Connections that candidates have with the agencies of the state matter greatly in this context. Indeed, we might even go so far as to say that the calling card of PML-N in the Punjab is now basically ‘service delivery’ - the ability to get things done locally (as well as flashy infrastructure development programmes.)

It is in this context, that we may revise the potential impact of PTI as not so much pioneering popular participation (hard to sustain on the basis of the historical record), but providing a fresh forum and focus for mobilisation based on “extra-local” (though not necessarily ideologically coherent) considerations. But I do not know how deep and far this support to the party beyond purely local considerations really is. We may get a clue in the next elections.

Excellent post @KB

Think elections will be the dood ka dood and panee ka panee situation for this argument