It is for the first time that any senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader has unveiled the real objective behind the party's protracted protest that eventually led to the setting up of a Supreme Court judges-led commission to inquire into the vote rigging allegations with regard to the 2013 general elections. The statement is a sardonic comment on the propriety of practitioners of politics in Pakistan. Responding to the scathing criticism in the National Assembly by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who had accused PTI chief Imran Khan of reneging on an agreement that the government and PTI inked on the setting up of the Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk-led inquiry commission, PTI's deputy parliamentary leader in National Assembly, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, made a startling disclosure: "Let me say on oath that PTI's only objective behind the setting up of the judicial commission was to highlight chronic operational flaws of the Election Commission of Pakistan, and not to derail democracy". According to him, his party never expected that the government would be wrapped up as a result of the report of inquiry commission. Earlier, opening the debate, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah had welcomed the fact that both PTI and PML-N had accepted the commission's findings. "It is heartening to note that both sides have accepted the commission's report, but as leader of the opposition I suggest the report must be laid before the house for a detailed discussion and its maximum utilisation for future elections", he was quoted as saying in National Assembly.
Whatever Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on the opening day of the lower house of parliament is nothing but a poor excuse for what his party had been doing for nearly two years in the country. The best course for the purpose would have been the parliament for consensus electoral reforms. Not only did, however, PTI choose to remain away from the house by tendering resignations in a controversial manner, it also staged the most profound protest of modern times that ably milked the opportunity thrown up by the arrival of satellite television in the country on an unprecedented scale in the history of the country. No doubt the way its 126-day dharna played out in the federal capital has certain positives such as greater participation of people in politics as more people discuss politics than vote, and many more vote than join parties. The protest certainly catalysed greater interest in networked digital connectivity and political action on a pattern introduced by the Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East some years ago. PTI chief, Imran Khan, clearly derived his strength from the support of youth in particular, that are a creative and dynamic source of innovation that have the power to catalyse changes in a political system, power sharing dynamics and economic opportunities. Imran was lucky in the sense that the major, or perhaps the largest chunk, of country's youth had rallied behind him to seek solutions of myriad problems such as poverty, barrier to education, multiple forms of discrimination and little or no job opportunities or prospects.
The debate on the commission's report unfortunately took a nasty turn with an exchange of barbs between MQM and PTI MNAs. A heated debate on an issue of great political import was highly expected, it was disappointing nevertheless as both parties made vitriolic attacks on each other. While MQM demanded an inquiry into determining the source or sources of funding for the PTI sit-in, the PTI underscored the need for carrying out an investigation into the MQM's alleged links with Indian agency RAW. Both the parties, particularly PTI, seem to have unfortunately lost the sight of greater objective of evolving consensus on electoral reforms-an opportunity that the judicial commission has thrown up for the parliament through its verdict. The onus of responsibility in this regard lies more with PTI than any other party, because not only had it challenged the fairness of the 2013 elections through the most impressive protest in the history of the country, its declared stance now is that all its agitation was to enforce electoral reforms. The government is required to show magnanimity in its victory. It must appreciate the fact that PTI is not on an ignominious retreat for its lack of confidence in the functioning of ECP has earned it a kind of legitimacy in the judicial commission's verdict that had termed its decision to inquire into vote rigging allegations "justified". Our political leadership, particularly Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, must not lose sight of the fact that there are times when the present breaks the shackles of the past to create the future-the PTI protest of 126 days, now past, was one of those. But there are also times such as the results of the 2013 general elections that gave birth to PML-N governments in Punjab, Balochistan and at Centre, and PTI government in KPK when it is the past that creates the future by breaking the shackles of the present. They are, therefore, required to be looking forward, and feeling grateful for the past.
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