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Journalism of Courage
Pakistans people rejected the anti-politics plank to affirm faith in a deeper democracy
Nawaz Sharif may ultimately win enough of the 272 directly elected constituencies for his Pakistan Muslim League N to form a government on its own terms. The remaining 70 seats are decided by proportional representation,to effect reservations for women and non-Muslims. The PML has predictably held Punjab,while the PPP and MQM should form the government in Sindh. Imran Khans PTI,which captured the imagination of large urban tracts,ultimately did not make enough inroads to gain a say in government formation in Islamabad,but it has,for the first time,established a presence in the National Assembly beyond Khans own seat and,possibly influentially,in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In the end,enough voters did not opt for the outlier he represented spurning the candidate on an anti-politics plank,Pakistanis stayed within the traditional political party system,a sure sign of deepening democracy. The credit goes to the people,who braved threats of violence and reversed traditional aloofness to come out and vote in larger numbers.
Sharif has persuasively presented himself as a peacemaker,pointing to his previous stints in government to give confidence that he will pick up the threads of dialogue with India. Having been deposed by the army in 1999,and later shipped out into long exile,he appears to now be less impetuous in disregarding other centres of power. It is to be hoped he will work to carry them with him while responding to Indias concerns. India,for its part,should not be found wanting in reciprocating,or indeed,in taking the initiative.
