Where are we heading?

I still remember that October 30 2011 public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan where Khan put up a big show followed by a whirlwind tour of the country. Khan's party emerged as a third force in Pakistan. At this point, Emily Dickinson's poem comes to my mind,

'Fame is a bee.

It has a song

It has a sting

Ah, too, it has a wing.'

He became a ray of hope for youngsters after promises of a 'Naya Pakistan'. Songs like 'Main tu dekhoon ga' raised expectations. After the 2013 elections, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The skipper (Kaptaan) had no plan, no team to run the province and had to rely on his friend from Aitchison College to run the province. In 2013, during an interview, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said it would have been a disaster if PTI formed the federal government. Prime Minister Imran Khan failed to create a team of experts, policymakers and regulators who could run the country. During PML-N's tenure, Imran Khan focused on rigging and corruption instead of turning KP into a model province.

The failure of Peshawar's bus rapid transport project was evidence of incompetence and inexperience. People still voted for PTI in 2018 to some extent despite claims of inconsistencies in the election from the young Bilawal Bhutto. Once again choosing to utilise the 'blame game' tactic, followed by claiming victimisation after coming into power was a poor strategy as Shams-i-Tabrizi (Rumi) a spiritual guide, said 'Whenever we fight and hate we are in hell'.

The Prime Minister and his team face a daunting task ahead to deal with COVID-19. There is already resentment among Pakistanis over the 22-month performance of the PTI government, especially with the recent spike in sugar and wheat prices alongside mismanagement of petrol supplies in this hot weather. There is anger in the public over the budget and we have even seen government workers protesting. A lack of economic success and the recent locust attacks on crops does far more than just diminish living standards; it promotes disaffected and destitute populations.

One must appreciate the way Stanford graduate and experienced politician Syed Murad Ali Shah of Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) has led Sindh in fighting COVID-19. He is getting appreciation from people from all walks of life. The agony continues with Buzdar's indecisiveness in Punjab as COVID-19 looms over the province. COVID-19 is crashing against household doors like a tsunami; people have no rescue...