SupportersofthePakistanTehreek-e-Insafcelebratetheparty’svictoryinthegeneralelectioninIslamabadonJuly26XINHUAWhenthefinalresultofPakistan’sgeneralelectionwasannouncedonJuly26,thestreetsandsquaresinthecountry’stwomajorcitiesIslamabadandKarachiwerethrongedwithcheeringcrowdsholdingaloftthecountry’snationalflagalongwithpostersofImranKhan—leaderofthePakistanTehreek-e-Insaf(PTI)whichhadjustwonamajority.
ThesceneformanyPakistanipeopleoldenoughtoremembermayhaveevokedasimilarmomentthattookplacebackin1992whenKhan,thencaptainofthePakistaninationalcricketteam,ledthecountrytovictoryattheCricketWorldCup.Followinghiswininthegeneralelection,Khanwillberesponsibleforleadinghiscountry,ratherthanitscricketteam.
Changeiscoming
ForthePakistanipeople,therecentgeneralelectionwasofprofoundhistoricalsignificance.ThesuccessofthePTImarkedthefirsttimethatthetraditionaldichotomyofthePakistanMuslimLeague-Nawaz(PML-N)andthePakistanPeoplesParty(PPP)hadbeenbroken,heraldingamomentofcrucialchangeinPakistan’spolitics.Thebreakhasalsogivenpeopleafreshwaveofexpectationsfortheircountry’sfuture.
Althoughadmittingthatshedoesn’tcaremuchforpolitics,MinalNeel,astudentfromtheShaheedZulfikarAliBhuttoInstituteofScienceandTechnologyinKarachi,saidthatsheisveryhappywiththeoutcomeoftheelectionaftervotingforthePTI.
“WewanttogiveImranKhanachancetoservethecountryandhedeservesit,”the22-year-oldtoldBeijingReview.Inherview,Khanischarismaticandeconomicallyindependent,withoutpoliticalbaggage,andsohecanfightagainstcorruptioninthecountry.
NeelisconfidentinthefutureofhercountryundertheincominggovernmentofthePTI.“Ithinkeverythingwillbebetter,includingeducationandpovertyreduction,”shesaid.Asastudent,shehopesthenewgovernmentwillincreaseinvestmentineducationandboostemploymentforyoungpeople.
Duringhiscampaign,KhanpromisedtocreateaNewPakistanbyreformingthecountry’ssystemofgovernanceandpushingforwardananti-graftcampaign.Healsopromisedtocreate10millionjobsinthecomingfiveyearsandtobuild5millionaffordablehousingunitstoimprovethelivingconditionsofpoorpeople,buildingPakistanintoa“modelIslamicwelfarestate.”Hispolicyproposalswonwidesupportfromthelowerclasses,aswellasthecountry’syoungergenerations.
AccordingtoJavedJabbar,aformerfederalministerinthePakistaniGovernmentandrenownedscholar,amoreprofoundtakeawayfromtheelectionoutcomeisthatitreflectsthepoliticalawakeningofpeopleinthecountry.
“ThiselectionhasshownthechangeinpublicopinioninPakistan,”JabbartoldBeijingReview.“Previously,peopleusedtoworkmostlyfortheircommunity,peoplelivinginthesamearea,speakingthesamelanguageorfromthesameracialgroup.Nowwiththiselection,muchofthathaschanged.Peoplewhoarenotconnectedwitheachotherbylanguage,classorethnicitybecamesuccessfulcandidatesbecausetheywereacknowledgedtobehonest.Itisanimprovementinpeople’spoliticalthinking.”
Jabbarsaidthatthemajorityofpeoplehavedecidedthatcorruptionshouldnotbetoleratedatthehighestlevelsofsocietyandthatstrongactionshouldbetakenagainstit.ThatisbelievedtobeakeyreasonwhymanyshiftedawayfromthePML-NandthePPPtowardtheemergentPTI.
TheelectionresultsalsoshowthatthepeopleofPakistanhaverejectedtheuseofreligioninpolitics,accordingtoJabbar.
“Eventhough97percentofusareMuslims,peoplesaywhenitcomestopoliticsyouhavetoshowyourability,yourideas,yourplans,notbecauseyouareaMuslim,oryougrowabeardandyousay,‘I’mthecustodianofIslam.’Thepeoplearenotimpressed[withsuchrhetoric],”saidJabbar,addingthathehopesthegeneralelectioncanheraldthestartofaneweraforPakistanipolitics.
JabbarhasfaiththatKhanandthePTIhavetheabilitytobringaboutpositivechangesforPakistan.Accordingtohim,inKhyberPakhtunkhwaProvince,wherethePTIhasalreadyruledforfiveyears,policecorruptionhasbeengreatlyreduced,healthcareandeducationhavebeenimproved,andmillionsoftreeshavebeenplantedtoimprovetheenvironment.
Jabbarbelievesthatoneofthemajortasksfortheincominggovernmentisfightingextremisminthecountry;hesuggestedthenewgovernmentimprovetheeducationsystemandintroducebooksandteachingthroughtelevisionandradioinschools,collegesanduniversitiestopromoterespectandnonviolenceandtodiscouragepeoplefromusingweapons.
ThePTIhasdeclaredthatithassecuredenoughseatsintheNationalAssemblytoformacoalitiongovernmentandformallynominatedKhanasitscandidatefortheofficeofprimeminister.Butthetwoformerlydominantpoliticalparties,thePML-NandthePPP,haverepeatedaccusationsthattheJuly25votewasriggedbythemilitaryandvowedtovotetogetheralongsideseveralsmallerpartiestoblockKhan’selectionasprimeministerinparliament.ItseemsagrandoppositionallianceistakingshapeinthePakistaniparliament.
ThePML-NandthePPPwon64and43seats,respectively,togetheralmostequaltothe115securedbythePTI.ItisthuspossiblethatKhanandhisgovernmentwillfacehugeresistancefromtheoppositionintheirattemptstobringaboutchangeinthecountry.
Unchangedrelationship
Beforetheelection,KhanwasquotedbysomemediaoutletsassayingthathisopiniondivergesfromthegovernmentontheconstructionoftheChina-PakistanEconomicCorridor(CPEC).Pakistanischolarshavenotedthatthe“divergence”towhichKhanreferredisnotrelatedspecificallytoChinaorCPECitself,butamoregeneralkindofrivalrybetweenpoliticalpartiesinthecountry.
Theoppositionpartyalwayscriticizestherulingpartyandsayswhatevertheyaredoingisbadforthecountry,saidJabbar,andKhan’s“divergence”isthathewantsCPECtobenefitmoreareasinPakistan.
PakistaniForeignSecretaryTehminaJanjuatoldChinesemediainagroupinterviewinIslamabadonJuly30thatCPECwillcontinuetobetakenasaprioritybythenewgovernment.“ThemostimportantthingweneedtounderscoreisthatwhoeverisinpowerinPakistanhasaclearcommitmenttothecontinuationofCPECasanimportantprojectthatbringsmutualbenefitsandprosperityforthepeopleofPakistan,”hesaid.
AizazAhmadChaudhry,DirectorGeneraloftheInstituteofStrategicStudiesinIslamabad,sharedasimilarview.HetoldBeijingReviewthat“China-Pakistancooperationisbeyondgovernments.AllgovernmentsinPakistanandallgovernmentsinChinahavealwayssupportedthisrelationship.IseenoreasonforanyconcernthatthePakistan-Chinarelationshipwillgodown.Infact,itwillgoup.”
Aftertheelection,KhanmetwithChineseAmbassadortoPakistanYaoJingonJuly30.AccordingtoastatementfromtheChineseembassyinIslamabad,KhansaidthatthePTIaccordsgreatvaluetoChinaPakistantiesandiswillingtolearnfromChinainareassuchastacklingcorruption,povertyalleviation,environmentalprotectionandurbandevelopment.Hesaidthataftertakingoffice,hisgovernmentwillfullycoordinatewithChinaandpromotethedevelopmentanddeepeningofbilateralrelations.
SpeakingtoBeijingReview,PakistaniAmbassadortoChinaMasoodKhalidalsoseemedassuredthattheChina-Pakistanfriendshipwasnotsettochangefollowingtheelection.“Ifanyonequestionsthat,pleasereadobjectivelythehistoryofChinaPakistanrelations,”theambassadorsaid.
(ReportingfromPakistan)
CopyeditedbyLaurenceCoultonCommentsto