Tasteless Elections

When asked about the elections 2008, the Pakistanis from Karachi to Khyber shrug their shoulders and say that this is a familiar exercise which they have gone over earlier. They ask tough questions.

They ask why should they care, when the same old tried faces are there once again to elect from. They ask why should they care, when a President who hasn’t been invited by anyone is once again there to supervise elections and go beyond. They are asking about the fate of judges, who stood by the candle of democracy, and they are inquiring about the once semi-free media, which is banned now. They are querying about the police terrorism upon the civil society, lawyers, and political workers. They are wondering about their basic rights, and they are asking about why is it so easy to mock and rollback and then reinstate constitution in Pakistan?

I wonder at the candidates of all the parties, as what would they say in their election speeches. Whether they would talk about democracy, constitution, or are they going to promise their electorate roti, kapra and makan. Its funny to even think that candidate would talk about international affairs. Will they talk about the rising domestic terrorism, and the law and order situation?

Whatever that means, it indicates substantial progress. One salient feature of the understanding reached is that the election 2008 will be sham and shame, and they are expected to achieve little if nothing. People are more concerned about their lord judges, who are virtually incarcerated, and people care about their rights and the dismal plight of their country.

They want to rise from the ashes of the past. Though they have been beaten hard by the horrible price hike, unemployment, poverty, terrorism, emergencies, natural calamities, and the political strife, they are committed to forge their nation from the fire of time.