IN the wake of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s untimely death soon after independence, different forces set up a political field of their own choice. The Quaid must have got the hint of the coming events or the shape of Pakistan’s politics.

One can say this on the basis of what the Quaid said during his speech at the Command and Staff College in Quetta, which included these unambiguous words: “During my talks with one or two senior officers, I discovered that they did not know the implications of the oath taken by the troops of Pakistan.” What happened after the death of the Quaid is painful.

The political leadership has consistently deteriorated in terms of competence and sincerity, while corruption has skyrocketed.

During farcical election rituals, com-peting candidates employ different means and tricks to influence public opinion in their favour. Sometimes they play on the public’s religious sentiments, and there have been occasions when political party heads issued election tickets to candidates recommended by numerologists and astrologers.

However, the most frustrating aspect is that some of these politicians claim to have studied at world renowned academic institutions, but have probably learnt nothing much through such exposure.

Abid Mahmud Ansari
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024