One of the follow-ups of the recent election has been the resignation of a slew of party chiefs. As opposed to the previous tradition of people hanging on to dear life to the post of party chief (usually because they had founded it), we’ve had a slew of resignations.
There have been two resignations coming in from those who left the PTI, condemning its May 9 actions and now they have finally come to the final and apparently optional part of the formula, which was to leave politics altogether. One of them was Jahangir Tarin, who had lost both the seats he contested, who founded the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party. Normally, that should have meant the end of the party, but since it has a couple of seats in the National Assembly, it needs to drag on its existence. I’m sure party President Aleem Khan will find things to do. But Jahangir Tarin wants no more of it.
Pervez Khattak has also decided to resign, with the PTI-Parliamentarians failing to secure a single seat at either the federal or provincial level. The party has apparently proved as tuberculosis as him.
Though Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Sirajul Haq has resigned, it is to be seen if that resignation is genuine or not. One might remember when the Jamaat contested as the Pakistan Islamic Front back in 1993. Since 1988, it might be remembered, the Jamaat had contested as a minor partner in the IJI. The Amir then was Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who led it in its solo flight. Well, it crashed and burned, winning just a couple of seats. Wazi took responsibility ans resigned, but contested and was re-elected Amir, remaining until 2009.
Jamaat Karachi Emir gave up his Karachi provincial seat, saying the PTI guy had been elected. However, I’m not sure he got the seat. I don’t think seats are in the gift of whoever wins it. There has to be a by-election. Actually, that is also the case with the office of the Jamaat Emir.
I wonder if there is anything for the PTI to learn in the stroke that Indian filmstar Mithun Chakraborty has suffered. Mithun was at his height around the time Imran became captain of the Pakistan cricket team, and his iconic film Disco Dancer was released the same year Imran led a tour to England the first time. The title song of that movie had the immortal lyrics ‘I am a disco dancer.’ I wonder if Mithun could lipsync to that song now. It’s as if the PTI had a stroke on May 9, and like Mithun, who has recovered from his stroke, has managed to do well in the election nonetheless.
Still, I’m not sure the PTI has got everything going in its favour even where it has won an overwhelming victory. They’ve picked Ali Amin Gandapur for CM. The only thing good that can be said about him is that he comes after Pervez Khattak and Mahmood Khan. He is probably makes a change with his fashion design degree, which is definitely a change from Mahmood Khan who had a master’s in agriculture. However, that makes both less educated than Usman Buzdar, who as everyone knows, has a doctorate in subatomic particle physics. The question, going by the track record, seems to be when he will desert the PTI, not if.
The PML-N choice for Punjab waa Maryam Nawaz, which would make her the first woman in Pakistan to head a province. She doesn’t have to do too well, for her comparison is with Usman Buzdar, which means that the bar isn’t very high.
Of course, India seems ahead, because it has had 16 women CMs so far. Of them, two have been Muslims. And the longer serving one of them, Mehbooba Mufti, was also both the daughter of a predecessor and a Kashmiri. Like Maryam.
