THIS refers to Aam Admi Party’s victory in the recent New Delhi elections. Arvind Kejriwal and his party have been an amazing political phenomenon, coming from nowhere to win a major election.

Issues for an ‘aam admi’, whether Indian or Pakistani, are the same — rising cost of living, unemployment, public safety, incompetent political system, etc.

We Pakistanis had thought that we have our own Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP in the person of Imran Khan and the PTI, respectively, for the original political and reform agenda of the PTI and AAP had appeared to be the same as manifested in the victory of the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, the PTI has drifted miles away from its original political agenda and now has fallen into the same rut as decadence-afflicted PML-N, PPP and the rest of the sundry political parties. Instead of taking up the cause of the common folks, the PTI too is entangled in self-serving policies. What a pity, indeed.

The PTI should concentrate and wage a jihad against rampant corruption, poor governance, terrorism, lack of basic necessities of life, unemployment and dwindling national economy, instead of jockeying around with judicial commissions. These are the issues that affect the common citizens.

The PTI should first organise nationwide sit-ins and massive public protests against the incompetent political system and where key state institutions such as the judiciary, the legislature and bureaucracy stand as failed and dysfunctional organs.

Emes Hasan

Islamabad

Published in Dawn March 1st , 2015

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