THE result of the recent elections clearly portrays that we are more Punjabi, Mohajir, Sindhi, Pathan and Baloch than Pakistani, unable to rise above the caste, biradari and feudal system.

Although the youth-based awareness campaign by the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf was remarkable, the one-nation ideology was effectively hijacked by the static middle-aged mindset, the followers of which believe in caste and creed more than in any other ideology.

The reasons for such a belief are many: egos, self-perceived superiorities, political families’ affiliations, vested interests, kickbacks, short cuts, a lack of education, financial gains, status and the maintenance of an exuberant lifestyle and little motivation for hard work.

The motivated youths, both male and female, did a remarkable job of not only casting their own votes for a change but also helping and convincing their grandparents to come out and vote for the PTI. The enthusiasm was pumped by the charisma, magnetism and respect commanded by Imran Khan, in addition to his ideological stance.

Senior citizens who have seen nothing but deterioration and jingoism for the last several decades gave their support to the PTI as a last shot for the improvement they so desperately desire to witness before they exit the world.

Having said that, the youngsters and seniors were helpless as they themselves are dependents. Neither can they invest resources nor do they have any training in countering the tactics of the trained and experienced volunteers of other political parties. Thus the sure-shot victory in many constituencies in Punjab and Karachi was sabotaged.

The PTI now has the lifetime opportunity of playing the role of a strong opposition. The centre and Punjab will be under immense pressure to deliver if faced by a firm yet fair opposition. The PTI must help the PML-N in doing good for the masses and check if it goes awry. The task is far more uphill for the PML-N than it is for the PTI.

Finally, the youth which has been so motivated today may not remain so five years down the line. It is for the PTI to continue with its stance for educational and health reforms, equal opportunities for all to excel, and merit-based job provision.

In continuing to work on the ideology of one nation, please do not forget about Karachi and Balochistan. If the PTI needs to protest rigging in Karachi, they must take a balanced and fair stance on rigging in Punjab and other parts as well. Pointing fingers only at Karachi at this point will further alienate the MQM and may result in anarchy and a further divide.

The major point of consolation for the PTI is the emergence of its chief as a leader who has his hand on the rhythm of time; a leader who can be as stubborn as an oak in matters of principles and as flexible as ivy when the need arises.

The party has become a force to be reckoned with. However, the leader must now be a step ahead of his followers, grooming and training them all the way to a ‘naya’ Pakistan.

PROF (Dr) NOOR SYED      Lahore

Wake-up call THESE elections must be seen as a wake-up call to our political leaders and the Election Commission of Pakistan. All political parties are crying foul play and rightly so.

It is estimated that the current elections cost Rs23.96 billion depending on multiple factors. What a waste of public money that has created more fissures in Pakistani society than the cohesiveness that was required.

The ECP cannot abdicate itself from the criminal negligence by mere announcement that the elections were largely free and fair because everyone on the street knows they were not. Was it complacency or lack of vision or anything sinister that stopped the ECP from using the modern technology for implementing rigging-free electoral process?

First-time voters like myself who feel betrayed after being part of such an obsolete electoral process demand an answer from all our politicians, in general, and the ECP, in particular, as to why did they not use modern technology or at least demanded reforms in the electoral process?

The damage such foolishness has caused is far deeper than we are seeing on streets.

A lay man and non-technical voter like me can only suggest a solution so that such a blunder is not repeated in future elections. We should use gigantic database available with Nadra and link it with a biometric system to make relatively quicker and reliable voting system with limited human input. It should be made foolproof by anti-hacking computer experts.

The cost too would definitely be a lot cheaper in the long run than what has been squandered in these elections.

The new government, with all the promises of reforms, must also revamp the electoral process for the betterment of this country.

FAHD ABBASY Karachi

Hasty response DAWN has done well to express disapprobation of the most inappropriate outburst by Altaf Hussain.

He subsequently retracted these remarks saying that his remarks have been misunderstood and taken out of context. Taken in whatever context, the subtle remark smacked of a hidden desire to separate Karachi. I hope I am wrong.

S.M. ANWAR     Karachi

Self-accountability HOW many of us pay our taxes, ensure we keep our area clean, don’t raise prices of things when they are in short supply, and don’t inject fruits with sugar and colours to allure people to buy them, doctors ensure our hospitals or clinic environment is clean so that patients don’t catch any infections, give alms, don’t lie in our daily lives, report a missing cell phone, stand in queue in places like banks or the airport lounge? First deserve, then desire!

Enough said already; no one person can change Pakistan.

We need a leader to guide us but what we all miss out on is to correct ourselves, honesty, dedication and hard work in whatever we do, commitment to our family and creating a peaceful environment around us by taking care of our neighbours, fulfilling the needs of people who work for us in our house or outside, the very basics — only if every person does his part that will bring about the change we all long for.

Allah helps those who help themselves.

AFIFA ADEEL Lahore

Of rural voters PAKISTAN has a large rural population. So it has a decisive role in power politics, which has never been realised by voters.

There are a number of factors which directly or indirectly influence their majority.

Thus a majority is converted into mere a minority by political manoeuvering in the name of ethnic group, cast, sect and influential candidates. They have never known the importance of their vote.

They have always been given excuses that if they are not going to support the candidate it would be reason of shame for their respective ethnic group, cast, sect and tarnish the reputed image of them and influential candidate of their constituency.

Why such lame excuses always work to exploit the huge vote bank of rural population? Of course, rural population has never been provided basic amenities of life.

They are always in threat during the elections by the candidates that their survival is at stake if they do not support their candidate.

They suffer brutal treatment at the hands of opponent.

Political victimisation is still at work in rural areas that have never been taken into consideration. The media has never taken such issues seriously and that victimisation has been branded as ethnic, caste and sectarian violence.

For this, if you survey the election results and constituencies you will find that the winning candidates have a history of winning in the consistuency no matter which party ticket they used to contest elections.

Pro-federation political parties have a major share in exploiting the rural vote bank over these issues. They never miss a chance to politicise these issues in order to secure votes.

This is why Pakistan has been a battlefield for decades in the cause of sectarian violence, ethnic hatred and tribal clashes.

Almost all political parties are said to suffer in one way or the other from the same disease of conflict emanating from tribalism, caste and sectarianism.

If the PTI does not lose stamina to address these issues and takes rural voters in its fold, it will surely emerge as the only party which has all in one that is Pakistan.

This election has changed a lot, but the true change is waiting to welcome Imran’s tsunami in the future if he does not fail to do the homework.

DR A. REHMAN OGAHI     Lahore