I had this sincere wish and gut feel that Imran Khan might
pull off a major upset against all odds in the recent elections. Though, the
results, in terms of number of seats won in the National Assembly, doesn’t
quite reflect the massive impact Imran Khan has made on our political landscape
over the last couple of years. But, no matter how big a mandate Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz may have managed to secure from Punjab to form the next
government, the change ushered in by Imran is what these elections will
always be remembered for!
I was thrilled to see the massive voter turnout, thanks to the
election ‘passion’ instigated mostly by Imran Khan’s unbelievable charisma and Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf’s colossal social media campaign. They truly made the silent
majority come out of their homes for the first time and vote in large numbers.
I went to cast my vote for the first time, and was stirred to see educated
women out of their houses queuing up to cast their votes. Never
in my life before, I witnessed enthusiasm of this sort coupled with concern for
this country’s affairs. Truly unbelievable and moving scenes were witnessed at
polling stations across Pakistan where people who had never bothered to be a
part of the political process came out to vote against all odds as we even saw
people coming on wheelchairs and also on stretchers just to be a part of this
change.
The ‘change’ Imran Khan has been promising might not have
fully arrived but the seeds have indeed been sown. Change does not happen
overnight nor does it come so easily but if the PTI and its followers can build
on this we may well experience real change within the next couple of years. The
status quo has been severely dented. It is evident by the knocking out of
previously ruling parties: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement
(MQ) and Awami National Party (ANP). Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has perhaps
been given a last chance as some people chose to stick with the tried and
failed instead of opting for the emerging and untested force under Imran Khan.
