Shiffa Yousafzai |
With the news of new secret documents that International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has just released, I am reminded of a recent interview of Maryam Nawaz.
In that ‘interview’, the questions asked were not at all critical and it looked as if Ms. Nawaz was driving the interview to the direction she wanted to. During the conversation, she was asked about the controversial volume X and she informed the interviewer as well as the viewers that she has been through the document. When she was asked about what was in it, she replied, “Nothing”.
Read more: Is PTI’s future as a political entity hanging in a balance?
Of course, this is what was expected of her to say because PML-N hasn’t really accepted the disqualification. As we can see that even after the disqualification, decisions are still made in London and we have been seeing our Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi traveling to London practically every other day – in the morning he’s here, in the evening he’s in London and the next morning he’s back again.
Mr. Ashraf believes that although Imran Khan’s nationalism is enough to drift the country in the right direction, his honesty and clear conscience is his strength.
But what I couldn’t understand is that Naeem Bokhari, the senior advocate of the Supreme Court and person responsible for the ouster of Nawaz Sharif as a petitioner on behalf of PTI, didn’t ask Supreme Court to provide their side with the volume X. Why? Did Maryam Nawaz really go through the volume X? If yes, then why haven’t Naeem Bokhari and PTI gotten a copy yet? The Supreme Court should have released the copies of that controversial and most awaited volume X to both parties concerned.
PTI’s daily gatherings and jamboree routine that the party has been following is believed to be their election campaign. The purpose of these massive public gatherings in different parts of the country was not very clear – until today when Imran Khan demanded early elections be held. Everyone started to predict that Khan is up to something. Listening to Khan’s warnings last night in Obaro, Sindh, political analysts have started to surmise that Khan might be coming back to the roads soon and with crowds twice as big as it was last time in 2014 – as demonstrated through his recent public gatherings.
Read more: Has PTI achieved its political goals in KPK?
Last night Imran Khan warned the government that if he smelled any NRO taking place, he will take the people of Pakistan along and would stay on the roads until and unless they get rid of the corrupt governance.
Mr. Sajjad Ashraf came to Pakistan the night before elections in 2013 just to vote for Khan.
In the same gathering, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Vice-chairman of PTI, said that he wishes for a chance for Imran Khan to be able to lead the country, and he wishes for the bright future of the nation to be under honest leadership.
Being originally from Peshawar, I have witnessed that a lot good has been done in KPK as compared to previous governments. Obviously, those critical of Khan and his politics on the roads, would definitely call me a blind fool and would not agree with me here. But those, who previously voted for him in 2013 with a saner thought that things don’t change overnight, would agree with me.
In spite of our people’s appreciation for visible gigantic projects, PTI’s manifesto had set human development its foremost priority and then comes the structural development. Unlike Muslim League (N) whose politics is based on visible infrastructural projects like Orange Line, Metro Bus, widening of roads – only.
PTI’s manifesto had set human development its foremost priority and then comes the structural development.
For the same reason the Punjab and Federal governments, both, earned immense criticism after the recent incidents of women giving birth to babies on the roads. The latest case was very disturbing when a woman gave birth to a baby in a hospital’s bathroom. The baby fell, died and the body was stuck there in the toilet for about four hours.
Where many of Khan’s followers and supporters got ticked off by his dharna politics, many still stand with him. I just met one of them – Mr. Sajjad Ashraf. He has been former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Singapore from 2004 to 2008 and is now an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Mr. Sajjad Ashraf came to Pakistan the night before elections in 2013 just to vote for Khan. When I asked him about his views on Imran Khan and his political moves, he said, “I came to Pakistan in 2013 just to vote for Imran Khan and will come back again to vote for him in the next elections.” Mr. Ashraf believes that although Imran Khan’s nationalism is enough to drift the country in the right direction, his honesty and clear conscience is his strength. If he gets to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan that could become Pakistan’s strength as well.
Read more: Imran Khan readying for a blitzkreig?
Now that Imran Khan has demanded early elections and has stepped up his campaign, several questions pop up in our minds. Is he really ready to contest for the Premiership of the country? Have Khan and his government in the province under their rule, achieved enough goals to be able to convince their support base to vote for them? Could they win the upcoming elections?
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that he wishes for a chance for Imran Khan to be able to lead the country, and he wishes for the bright future of the nation.
Imran Khan anticipates the defeat of PML(N) in the next elections but early elections might yield more fruitful results for the ruling party than it could for PTI, for they’ll start playing the victim card like they did when Nawaz was disqualified.
PTI’s petitioner, Naeem Bokhari, needs to get his hands on volume X. He needs to share it with the media and public so that we know what is in there and if someone is benefitting from it being held back.
Shiffa Yousafzai is a freelance writer; She is an International Alumni Ambassador for Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, where she studied Multimedia Journalism. Earlier, she graduated with business and marketing at Air University, Islamabad. She had been vice-president Air University Cultural Society; She is a singer and has performed in cultural events. Shiffa could be followed on twitter @Shiffa_ZY and on facebook @Shiffa Z. Yousafzai. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.