Ready for governance?

With its shadow cabinet and functional think tanks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was well prepared to deliver change through good governance. The mammoth public support at the Lahore Jalsa on October 30, 2011, sent shockwaves to the forces of the status quo. At this take-off stage, the party came under attack from the age-old electables. On the second show of strength on December 25, 2011, at the Mazar-e-Quaid, the old party guard had been relegated to the lower stage while Imran Khan (IK) was surrounded by new players on the main stage. There were clear signs that the movement had been hijacked. Comrade Ahsan Rashid, the Chou-En-Lai of the party had arranged a lavish after-Jalsa dinner at the Sheraton Hotel which proved to be the proverbial 'Last Supper' for the PTI idealogues who had worked hard to build the party into a formidable movement that could no longer be ignored.

PTI was denied election victory in the disputed 2013 electoral contest. It was made to wait for another term before coming into power in 2018 at the centre, Punjab and KP. Despite popular support, IK had to form coalition governments both in Islamabad and Lahore. It is indeed interesting to note that only PML-N was able to manage an absolute majority not once but twice (1997, 2013), clearly indicating its proximity with the establishment while both PTI and PPP (Pakistan People's Party) were denied this support. IK came into power surrounded by age-old tested and failed electables. The shadow cabinet, which was a blend of highly qualified technocrats and clean political players, was largely ignored. The selection of the PSPM (Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister) was also imprudent, it was an extension of the Peshawar bureaucracy which lacked broader understanding at the national level.The preparatory policy formulation by think tanks was also binned as. being impractical, prepared by political novices. The know-all and deliver nothing electables were back in the saddle. While the leader tried his best, the managers lacked the spirit to fight for change by taking on the forces of the status quo.

To deliver change one has to rely on out-of-the-box solutions but before venturing out of the system, the inside has to be fully understood. Decisions are reached on the files for which documentation and paperwork are required which are in the control of the bureaucrats who are the champions of the status quo. Most political players are weak in this area. Over the years...