LET me congratulate Imran Khan on his convincing win in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had been under the ANP for the last five years, saw one military conflict (in Swat) and many uprisings involving the TTP and many more militant outfits.

Now there is a lull which, of course, predicts a storm. The PTI is going to assume power in a province which is full of drug barons, arms merchants, Nato supply contractors, millions of Afghan refugees and a hostile border.

While trying to implement his agenda of good governance, Imran Khan will suddenly feel uncomfortable because his team is full of old wine in new bottles.

Then there is the bureaucracy, which will create hurdles in the implementation of his agenda. There will be very little or no support from the centre which will be expecting him to fail and fall.

In circumstances as such, he is advised not to fall into the trap of re-polling, re-counting and sit-ins. Instead, he should concentrate on how to begin the five-year tenure.

If he is dragged into street fights with any other political party, the latter will gain because they have nothing to lose. This is my advice to my favourite captain who won us the one and only World Cup.

MOHAMMAD IQBALKarachi

Advice to PML-N chief

THE people have given a clear-cut mandate to the PML-N with representation from every federating unit. The PPP and its coalition partners, especially the ANP, have suffered a humiliating rejection from across the country.

The ANP has been wiped out by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because it failed to deliver. The people who had suffered for five years gave their verdict on poor governance, rampant corruption, lawlessness and disregard for lives and property of citizens of Pakistan who elected them in the hope that they will the serve masses and fulfil their manifesto promises.

It should serve as a lesson for other political parties that the electorate can no longer be fooled and they will be judged by their performance and not by promises they make. The PML-N has benefited because of better governance by Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab.

However, now that the PML-N has been given a clear-cut mandate, the party will have to prove its worth by delivering to the people. With a free media, the PML-N will be closely watched for its appointments on merit to various state-owned corporations, which under the PPP-led coalition had been destroyed by corrupt politicians.

The PML-N should have asked itself for recount of votes in two constituencies, namely NA 122 and 125, so that its credibility remains intact. The defeat of two controversial PML-N candidates contesting for Punjab Assembly seats from Lahore should open eyes of those who think the people can be fooled, or public memory is short.

SHAHZAD KHALILLahore

Pro-people agenda

NAWAZ Sharif will be making history by becoming the prime minister for a third time, but I would advise him not to indulge in fantasy of grandiose schemes like the promised bullet train. We first need a second railway line, then the bullet train.

Besides, he needs to put right the institutions which have deteriorated or been destroyed like PIA, Pakistan Railways and the Steel Mills.

He should not give any ministerial post to any member of his family. He and Shahbaz Sharif are enough because if he doesn’t do this, he will create factions in his own party.

He should be magnanimous towards those who have been hostile towards him during the election campaign. By that I don’t mean that he should forget the ones involved in Haj, ephedrine and other scandals.

Also, he should remember that the armed forces, at whose hands he thinks he suffered, are the only viable institution left in this country. Please don’t play with them because they are patriots par excellence just like him.

Nawaz Sharif should pay attention to primary and secondary education and discipline in them.

Also, he should try and ensure that the Higher Education Commission is not destroyed. Such an institution is for our own good even as they are a threat to hypocrites, liars and cheats.

Nawaz Sharif should also not think of becoming ‘amirul momineen’. We get sick of our leaders within three to four years.

These are just food for thought for him besides the other major issues on his plate, i.e., law and order, terrorism, electricity, finances and the abject poverty of the absolute poor.

S.M. KHALIDPeshawar

Nawaz Sharif on India

RECENTLY, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif issued a statement that he and his party would not let Pakistani soil to be used against India for incidents such as the Kargil war and the Mumbai attacks.

While everybody wants peace and nobody wants a conflict in terms of foreign policy with any country, it needs to be emphasised that the peace should be on equal terms from both sides.

I have not heard any statement from any Indian premier after coming to power that he/she would not let Indian soil be used against Pakistan for events such as the 1971 war, the Siachen invasion of 1984 and the Balochistan unrest. A general goodwill gesture regarding the wish to maintain peace with India would have been good enough.

REHAN SOHAILKarachi

Anti-thesis

BRAVO to Pakistanis on a stunning display of commitment to democracy. People, despite dismal performances by federal and provincial governments, have reposed their confidence in the democratic process. Irrespective of results and controversies, democracy has won the day.

There was a great sense of deprivation among expatriates over the Election Commission of Pakistan’s indifference towards their right to vote. Elections, in essence, are anti-revolutionary and the most effective tool to provide an opportunity to the people for catharsis. Elections also give an opportunity to antithesis to develop and grow.

If we look back to 1970 elections, we notice that the emergence of the PPP was actually a development of an antithesis against pro-establishment decaying politics of the Muslim League. In the post-Zia scenario, Pakistani politics was thesis and antithesis of politics by Zia-inspired elements and the PPP politics which took a very interesting turn after 2008 when both thesis and antithesis merged in the name of reconciliation, this development naturally created a room for an antithesis.

We all then witnessed the rise of the PTI in Pakistani politics as antithesis. Status quo forces of thesis joined hands to check the development of antithesis and with their control over absolute structures of power, they have managed to hold back antithesis for a while but the river of history has to flow. Penetration of the PTI everywhere in the strongholds of major status quo parties is a manifestation of strong antithesis phenomenon.

This clearly indicates decay in present political narrative across the country and craves for fresh air. The return of the PML-N, PPP governments in the centre and provinces would further fan the flame of the PTI. This development is healthy for Pakistani politics.

The PML-N has got the power once again with all its baggage. The real challenge for the party would be to either perpetuate status quo or incorporate people’s aspirations by developing democratic institutions to grassroots levels like encouraging student politics and local government system or continue with the old style of politics based on the police and revenue. Let us hope for the best.

ATIF MAJOKAMelbourne, Australia