There is no denying though that news channels provide the greatest bit of reality T.V drama for entertainment hungry Pakistanis. With the lack of something like Bollywood to sustain national interest in home grown entertainment, news channels fill an important gap in our country's cultural landscape.
The only thing that this march has going for it is Aitzaz Ahsan. If there is one person I could think of voting for amongst the entire Pakistani political scene, it is him. But he needs to make his separation from the PPP loud and clear. Make a breakaway faction or an entirely new party that will give enthusiastic and sane Pakistanis a chance to battle against the forces of Talibanization, intolerance and Imran Khan. A library in his house that I still recall with great awe, independent minded daughters who were sent abroad to study according to their wishes, a son who is about to get a novel published, well respected in his professional community and a life spent being loyal to his party, he seems to have a lot of the right credentials.
Will he have the courage to come out of the closet and lead in the right way though? Can someone like him ever capture the imagination of the Pakistani awaam? Can you possibly lead Pakistan when you have a reputation for not being overtly religious and have led a largely 'liberal' life. Do credentials like brains, honesty and commitment matter to a people who feel guilty if their leader doesn't at least pretend to be pious. A black President in America is possible but the election of a largely secular yet honest man to the office of PM seems like an impossible Pakistani pipe dream.
18 comments:
i would vote for him too but he'd also have to change his hairstyle.
any man over seventeen has no right to have a centre parting like his and still hope to lead a popular revolution.
baal hon to purple hon, warna na hon.
I agree with most of your comments regarding our political parties and their lack of values or anything worthwhile.
However, since the focus is Aitzaz, I shall just say one thing and pass up the possibility of a good debate on why he is not my favourite.
There IS a strong argument for his staying in the party. If all good people (and I use term this given your view of him) leave the party, the party gets worse. Having him (and even Sherry - now under new management) around means that some day, some day, some day they may be able to convert enough members from within to say enuff is enuff and set the direction right.
If he were to leave and form a new party it would soon go the way of all other parties. After all, the picking ground for membership is a largely corrupt nation.
@ Zakintosh: Within the party they will always be associated with the corrupt past of the PPP and not find any new converts from the ranks of PML et al. And who cares if the PPP gets worse? Isn't it bad enough already? A new party could mean a new direction and a clean slate.
As for Aitzaz himself, I am sure there must be several things about him that one could criticize, for starters there is something decidedly 'unawaami' about his demeanour and carriage and the saahibi style will not really take him too far in our set up.
I would like to weigh my opinions upon getting further information about him. For now what I prefer him over others for is the stuff I mentioned in the blogpost.
@ sabizak Paras 2 and 3 accepted. Para 1, not so.
Bush has not 'forever' damaged the Republicans (not that I agree with their stance on anything). Nor has 'Billary' damaged the Democrats. The past of parties rarely lives on.
Another case in point: the fact that a bunch of nutcase PML-N'ers joined Mush (making him The Guy With The Most A**holes Behind Him) to form the PML-Q, did not imbue the party with the glory that the Quaid's original party held in the eyes of the Muslims of India, once.
BTW, I was not intending to criticize Aitzaz at all. He just doesn't turn me on. Many of his Lahori friends (from Gucci Leftists to the inane "He's such a jaanoo" types), used to tell me that he really does not have a large political following. I am sure he must have developed a much bigger one via the Lawyers' Movement, so that should no longer be an impediment. I just think we've had enough of Aitchison-KGS-Oxbridge-Ivy_League bullshitters.
But, all said and done, even they are preferable to PML-N which is really the Trojan Horse the Taliban will use to enter and desTroy any sense of humanity that we may still have left.
"A new party with a new direction and a clean slate"? Exactly what Immy Khan had set out to do, never mind his own schizophrenia. No takers, really. Doesn't work. Bad system. Or: Bad! System!
@ x-e-i: Yayyyy ... Puple is the colour to dye for!
An Article for you Sab :)
http://www.insaf.pk/Media/InsafBlog/tabid/168/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1981/In-defense-of-Imran-Khan-Who-is-a-Liberal.aspx
I dont think his liberal repute would make much of a difference - We all know Zardari's & even Benair's reputations as party goers. Imran Khan used to be pretty liberal before his rightist views suddenly emerged.
But then again, maybe the masses are too dim to compare action & words.
I think if Aitezaz were to step up and lead, he would find followers that might actually make a difference.
i think we should take this opportunity to laugh at the live coverage of what will be a long, long, long march whose every detail will be painstakingly covered several times. so far my favourite has been a question put to nawaz sharif "aap kaheen raastay mein khaane ke liye rukein gey?"
i've heard of people who, when unable to find a real lion brought dogs and stuffed toys to wave at the cameras. how can we not enjoy this?
defence feels like a different country right now. nothing politically significant ever happens here. it's sort of a blessing actually, but i say that in a hushed tone for being labelled a "soya howa" politically ignorant, unpatriotic, emotionally stunted individual with a just-don't-care attitude. the horror. i don't think anyone can bear that many labels at once.
@Zakintosh: You really love puns don't you?
All right I will bite.
I agree with Zak about PPP and Aitzaz. The permanent destruction of PPP as a party will be extremely harmful and people like Aitzaz, Sherry and Raza Rabbani should remain a part of it and hopefully emerge victorious. PPP still has an overtly progressive agenda even though it is buried deep under the layers of feudalism and these people are its saner elements.
I have extremely strong antipathy for Jamaat, JUI and MQM for very different reasons and have come to strongly dislike Imran Khan's confused Talibanism. This may get me killed on this blog but I have not yet completely given up on the "post-Musharraf" PMLN. Yes, there is a very substantial regressive element in that party but it also has some influential leaders who are not of that ilk: Nisar Ali Khan, Khawaja Asif,Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal, even Shahbaz Sharif are right wingers for sure but these are not Taliban or even Islami-nizam types.
In reality I have no real hopes attached to the PMLN. I don't think they will behave differently from the 90's when and if they actually get power but I have not completely written them off as yet in this go around. I am still holding on to some minuscule hope in change and redemption because I more or less agree with their current domestic political stance.
@Fawad: The antipathy for Jamaat, JUI and MQM is part of every sane person's life. Sadly, it seems that there aren't enough sane people left.
As for the saner elements in PML-N, I may accept that the names you have mentioned are probably not of the Sharea Brigade (but only because you would know more about them since they are from lahore. But I would ask you to leave Ahsan Iqbal out of the list. His Jamaat connection is not easy to forget. I'd be not too surprised if it turned out that he is a plant (there are now several in every party, mainly of the potted variety).
BTW, do read this: http://tinyurl.com/cf4bwx
@Hamza Bayta, yeh baygaanah-pun angrayzee 'daanoñ' kee samajh say baahar hae. After all an Englishman is the lowest form of twit.
As far as I can remember, even Mohammad Ali Jinnah was not overtly religious and led a largely 'liberal' life before he decided to take on the mantle of 'Quaid-e-Azam'. So, I don't seen why that should work against Aitzaz Ahsan.
Every one has their own agenda.
Aitzaz Ahsan was part of the entourage that allowed Zardari to become president.
BUT because he is secular we should have him as our leader.
Not because he is good for the people but because he is SECULAR.
Wah wah wah kya baat hai!
Citizen X
@ Citizen X: For me secular means good for the people or at least a big part of what makes someone good for the people
@sabizak Or at the very least it means he is minus one form of evil: discrimination against others on the basis of their beliefs.
@ citizen x Obviously if we know for a fact something specifically bad about the chap (secular or not) then we don't want him. Laykin Haq Baat to yeh hae keh Aitraz hasn't really done any real damage (so far). And I say this despite not being an Aitraz fan.
@Zak,
"Laykin Haq Baat to yeh hae keh Aitraz hasn't really done any real damage"
Now thats funny :D
@Sab,
Just because some one is religous does nto automaticaly mean that he is biased.
In the same way to me it doesn't matter whether Aitraz (very aptly named) Ahsan is secular or not.
He is useless.
Please read good article on Imran Khan below:
http://www.insaf.pk/Media/InsafBlog/tabid/168/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1981/In-defense-of-Imran-Khan-Who-is-a-Liberal.aspx
X
I don't have Geo or any Pakistani cable where I live. Just curious how much that "(un)biased" media gave coverage about Nawaz Sharif's Party's attack on Supreme court which took place on Novemebr 1997 gainst chief justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah.
Here is the link.
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