14 hours later…

We finally landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. I was tired, worn out and my body ached – as did everyone else’s, I’m sure.

After a long wait, I finally made it to the immigration officer. He asked me a few general questions:

“How long will you be here?”

“Why are you visiting?”

At the same time, he was talking to his colleague behind him about his day at the gym.

After hearing horrific immigration stories from friends and families, this is easy, I thought. But before I got too far ahead of myself, the officer informed me that there was just one more check that I would need to go through before I could enter the United States. What could this be, I wondered.

It was, what I call ‘The Muslim Room’.

I call it the ‘Muslim Room’ because every name that was called out to approach the counter started or ended with Mohammad! Coincidence? I think not.

I actually went to the counter three times mistakenly thinking I was being called, as I, too, have Mohammad as a first name!

18 hours later…

My name finally got called out and it took me a minute to gather myself and head to the immigration officer who seemed agitated.

“Are you deaf?” he said as soon as I approached.

I replied saying, “I didn’t hear you.”

“You were sitting right in front!”  He replied angrily.

Not wanting to wait there any longer, I apologised and blamed the delay on the noise coming from around the ‘Muslim Room’. The rest went smoothly.

After waiting for hours, the only question I was asked here was how long my stay in the United States was again; after this, I was free to enter the US. I didn’t quite comprehend the purpose of being in a secluded room, being asked a question that I had already answered the minute I had set foot in this airport, but then again, who cares. I was free to enter the US!

A few days later…

On my return to Pakistan, the Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad was crowded and hot as always. I made my way to the immigration counter once again after a 14-hour flight- I just wanted to go home and sleep.

I greeted the officer behind the counter. I felt quite relaxed because I was back home. This shouldn’t be difficult, I thought. I belong here.

I was greeted by a rude, insulting stare. After getting my luggage, I headed towards the green channel as I had “nothing to declare” – but for some reason I was rerouted aggressively towards the red channel. Why? I don’t know.

However, the one thing that  I noticed here was that foreigners are not treated the way as we are in our own country. They are somehow allowed to just breeze through the whole process, while us, Pakistanis are pushed around and made to jump through hoops in our own country!

My fellow passengers weren’t as nice either. My bag was kicked by another gentleman (if that’s what I can call him) for being in the way. And in spite of my protests he ignored me and walked off.

Finally the debacle was over and I headed home.

I’m not a frequent traveller but I have travelled quite a bit and I feel like it is becoming uncomfortable to do so anymore. Yes, uncomfortable –  I use this word because of the unnecessary questioning and rude stares that you become a victim of, whether it be in your own country or abroad.

I understand the racial profiling abroad; I feel it’s unfair but I do understand it. We are brown and they don’t like us; this is something we just have to deal with. But, somehow you tend to expect just a little more when you are in your own country. Sadly, even this can’t be found here.

We are treated with aggression and are scorned; we get jeered at for absolutely no reason.

I question,

Should brown people just stop travelling?

Follow Aly on Twitter @Mohdalykhan

Sometimes the sun strikes harder on us than usual, almost as if to punish us for our sins from the day before.  We lose teenagers in gunfights, lose women to politics, lose children to violence, all as if we were sheep instead of people.

This month we honoured the funerals of a female party worker Zahra Shahid Hussain, and a philanthropist Abdul Waheed.

These two are one of the many we have lost. We lose blood on the streets, see it on our television screens and read it in our papers. The bloodshed, senseless loss of life and flaky sense of humanity should cage us in our homes, depress us and chase our sanity away. But it doesn’t, not even close.

My family received a call from a relative based abroad who advised us to stay at home for the sake of our safety. All my mother said in response was,

“This is Karachi.”

It’s a land of lawlessness yet a place of unwavering courage. We soldier on despite the looming fear on the cracked streets of the city.

Last week, despite a ban on public protests and threats surrounding protesters, hundreds of citizens gathered to demand their right in the heart of Karachi towards a free and fair election. We saw students tape their mouths in another silent protest to speak against a ban on the basic right of disagreement.

Karachi does not hide behind the fury of a keyboard; it now finds solace on the streets.

The power of the man on the street is increasing with the passing of every tick-tock on your clock. No longer can a mafia tape the mouths of the people and no longer can any force keep them locked. Though it was said that voter turnout was low at the re-polling, there were people who turned up despite all obstacles of sickness, age, time and safety. I saw people wait patiently to do what they can for their city with one ink stamp.

In the onion of understanding, we’re shedding layer upon layer and getting to the core that defines us, our rights.

Read more by Manahyl here or follow her on Twitter @mintsnk

While I strongly condemn the brutal killing of Zahra Shahid Hussain, I would like to take this opportunity as an individual to apologise to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) supporters on behalf on my leader, Imran Khan’s statement.

I doubt my party will issue an apology statement or agree with me so I will speak for myself.

It was incorrect of Imran Khan to point a finger at your supporters without waiting for an inquiry and an investigation to be completed on the senseless killing of Zahra Shahid Hussain.

Apart from the chaos felt in Karachi, it achieved what it meant to and that is to divide our people and parties further and deepen our hatred towards each other.

As a Karachi resident I accept the MQM as a political force in our city. There are many who feel that by pointing at the MQM, it will eventually bring an end to your party and your supporters.

MQM and its supporters are here to stay and I accept that.

My party’s struggle for change may not have fully come but real change will only be realised when we start changing ourselves, our behaviour and thinking. As a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter I feel privileged enough that I can publicly disagree with my leader and not feel afraid in doing so.

By writing this letter, I hope to change myself and my thinking for a better Pakistan.

While I stand with my leader and support him, I hope to see a ‘Naya Pakistan’; a Pakistan where I can also stand with you in line and sing together our country’s heart warming national anthem.

Pakistan First!

Best regards,

Imran Ahmed

(A PTI supporter)

Follow Imran on Twitter @ahmedi678 

It seems as if the chief of MQM Altaf Hussain, has finally taken notice of the ongoing problems within the party ranks. The rising popularity of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Karachi and the sour feelings, even among the Urdu speaking populace – which constitutes a major part of the vote bank of MQM – may have triggered this reality check.

MQM represents the middle income group and has a track record of sending educated young men and women to the corridors of power and providing them with an opportunity to serve as lawmakers.

Their young dynamic mayor, Mustafa Kamal, changed the face of Karachi which took the party’s popularity to new heights. However, it was during the last five years when MQM suffered badly as a coalition partner of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Even if they wanted to do something for the people of Sindh, they have been unable to.

Similarly, there were no efforts done at the grass root level by the unit and sector level members of the MQM to provide any kind of relief to the people of Karachi.

There was a time when Karachi had risen to the concept of ‘I own Karachi’ introduced by none other than Mustafa Kamal and his team, but the spirit and enthusiasm fizzled out when the turbulent MQM-PPP coalition kept the local bodies system of governance in a limbo and the last five years were spent ‘strengthening democracy’ by keeping this marriage of convenience intact.

There was a time when MQM workers were made to go through character and personality development programs called ‘fikri nishist’ where public service was promoted and every single worker was supposed to follow the party’s code of conduct.

However, these traits as they say ‘nazariati kaarkun’ (ideological worker traits) lack in the current breed of MQM workers. They seem to be devoid of any such training. Ultimately, this resulted in some serious breach of party discipline.

Therefore, the chief intervened and dissolved the Karachi Coordination Committee. I see this as a welcoming step towards re-structuring and re-organising the party on a positive note- keeping in mind the growing expectations of the people of Sindh and Karachi in specific.

Additionally, by dissolving the Rabita Committee, Altaf has put a leash on all those workers and office bearers who are involved in extortion, land grabbing and related crimes; MQM is taking a positive step towards repositioning itself in Karachi.

Hussain’s concern for public inconvenience caused by the actions of his workers is again being viewed as a paradigm shift in the policy making of the MQM. This is assumed to have a pleasant outcome in the upcoming days.

I would love to see MQM’s future Karachi Coordination Committee working actively towards resolving Karachi’s ever growing problems. To see them synergise their energies towards public welfare and improving their public image would be like a dream come true!

MQM workers have great potential and if used wisely, these young men and women can change the fate of Karachi within no time. They are common people just like us and therefore have full exposure to the issues faced by a common man on the streets. All that is required is a realistic approach, political insight, system of checks and accountability by the party leadership and sensitivity towards the demands and expectations of the general public.

What’s done is done; it’s time to move forward now; MQM, make us proud!

Read more by Arsalan here

“Lahore. The second largest city in Pakistan; the fifth largest city in South Asia and the 26th largest city in the world but more than that though, this is the place of my parents’ birth and the place they now live in. I lived here only once, as a seven-year old, now at the age of 24, I’ve finally got another chance to visit the place of my origins, and recreate the early mementos of my childhood trip: my postcards from Lahore.”

And so begins the British-Asian and London-based filmmaker and comedian Aatif Nawaz’s documentary-film, ‘Postcards from Lahore’, that has come to be the only Pakistani film to be shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2013.

Narrated by Aatif himself, ‘Postcards from Lahore’ centres not just around a young man travelling 7,000 miles back to his hometown after 17 years to recreate his memories but to revisit every shade of colour that comes together to make the vibrant composition that is Lahore.

Be it its rich historical and cultural heritage whose grandeur is redrawn vividly through the anecdotes of an 86-year-old Jameel, one of Lahore Fort’s tour guides; a taste of its streets; the warmth of its people; their love for sports and of course, good food!

Aatif’s comedian wit is often heard in his candid commentary as he tours Lahore, from the city’s fringes to its modern constructional erections that are the numerous shopping malls and plazas.

The documentary also includes a tidbit about how the security situation in Pakistan has affected the city and how it is much lamented.

His experience in Lahore and trying to re-bond with his roots in ‘Postcards from Lahore’, in Aatif’s own words is “a foreigner’s love-letter to the city of his origins”.

It truly is a love-letter that explores every feature of beauty of the beloved city that is the throbbing heart of the country: it’s life, diversity, past, people and culture.

The film was screened at the 2012 Raindance Film Festival, the Pakistani High Commission in the UK and was awarded an Honourable Mention at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2012 among several other honorary mentions and awards at the festival circuit.

We’re proud of Aatif and heartily congratulate him on the documentary’s success!

Read more by Hafsa here.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Imran Khan didn’t look like he did or didn’t have a charming personality? Would he still have the crazy fan following that he has today? I think not.

He obviously won the World Cup but that should have nothing to do with his political following. It’s the personality. It’s the class the man oozes.

Beckham, in my opinion, is a replica case.

May 18, 2013 at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. It was his last home game before retiring. PHOTO: AFP

As an icon, you cannot question the former Manchester United right winger. You’d probably see your children being narrated case studies on Beckham’s life in their public relations or marketing classes in future. But when it comes to listing down the reasons for his unbelievable popularity all over the globe, very few of them would be talking about this ability in football and hence, the tag “overrated.”

Olympic games in London on July, 27, 2012. PHOTO: AFP

Let’s start from the beginning. Beckham emerged as one of the prodigies in the famous generation of Manchester United wonder kids that manager Alex Ferguson unleashed in the footballing arena during the mid-90s. He was part of what they called “Fergie’s Fledglings” of the 90s that included the likes of Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes among others.

If this group was to line up together, it wouldn’t be difficult to pick the odd one out. Yes, the Backstreet Boys-like, blonde, handsome, young man, who’d be an instant hit if he ever acted in a movie – David Beckham. Not sure if you would describe Giggs or Scholes in the same breath as him in terms of looks.

PHOTO: AFP

If you were to list down Beckham’s distinct footballing abilities, you’d instantly mention his immaculate crossing, set piece delivery and an undying appetite and work rate. He was by no means a sprinter and certainly not a prolific goal scorer.

He probably also had Gary Neville to thank for the success he had at United considering the brilliant partnership both formed on the right wing. Point being and every football fan would agree that he was never a footballer of world beating ability.

PHOTO: AFP

This, by no means, implies he wasn’t a good footballer, because he certainly was. However, no way was he so good that he would become a man whose current earnings stand at $46million making him the world’s eighth highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes.

He has indeed won lots of honours – 6 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups and 1 Champions League with Manchester United, 1 La Liga title and 1 Spanish Cup with Real Madrid, 1 French league title with PSG. However, the one common factor you’ll notice with all three clubs that he has won with is that those sides were full of world beaters. He was always lucky to be in brilliant teams that ought to win major trophies with or without him!

He had 115 caps for England, the most for an outfield player, only behind Peter Shilton but what did he win with them?

Nothing. Zilch. And the reason was simple. England was never a great team. Similarly, during his stint at AC Milan, he managed to win nothing with an ageing, struggling team. As for MLS, I wouldn’t bother mentioning it in detail because, well, it was MLS (no offence meant here!)

So why didn’t the likes of Giggs or Scholes, who were far superior in ability ever see their popularity and commercial value escalate like Beckham’s?

They just didn’t have Beckham’s charismatic personality.

David Beckham presents his autobiography "My side." PHOTO: AFP

His X-factor, personality, charm, kindness, gentleman nature, career moves as well as personal moves were all spot on and that lead to his unbelievable popularity. He was a golden boy for every team. He’d bring billions from shirt sales. He was a commercial jackpot for every club he was at. However, he was never an exceptionally talented footballer. He was never a world beater who gained his popularity purely based on his foot balling talent. As a footballer, he was just ridiculously overrated.

Beckham holds his new Los Angeles Galaxy football jersey. PHOTO: AFP

To sum up, this is not a hate post. Criticising Beckham does feel wrong as he was essentially a very nice human being but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that he was hardly a world beating talent, who made more bucks and became more famous only because of his personality and smart marketing.

PHOTO: AFP

For me, Beckham was to football what Andy Roddick was to tennis. Take out his serves and his personality out of the equation and he’d just be an ordinary athlete ala David Beckham.

Roll on the abuse!

Read more by Emad here, or follow him on Twitter @EmadZafar

The newly elected Chinese Premier had been in India before where he couldn’t escape India’s objections and had to offer explanations about the Chinese interest in development activities in Pakistan. Additionally, he spoke of about ways to improve Sino-India relations over border disputes.

Li’s visit to Pakistan, however, is significant in many ways. Not only has he received the prestigious award of Nishan-e-Pakistan, he will be addressing the Senate and planting a sapling at Shakar Parian in Islamabad. Furthermore, he is expected to sign many important MoUs in the field of economy, science, technology, space and upper atmosphere communication and energy.

Do make note that India is wary of China’s interest in Pakistan because it is widely believed that eventually China will expand its influence to Afghanistan. China, on the other hand, is trying to convince India that what it is planning to do will benefit the entire region.

Keeping the Indian misgiving in mind, let’s not forget that Gawadar port is another issue where India and China do not see eye to eye on.

The control of the Gawadar port was given to China this February. Pakistan expects the port to open a wealth of economic opportunities in the midst of the political turmoil in Balochistan. While Pakistan and China are elated about this development, India views China’s $200 million investment in Gawadar as a Sino-Pak expansionist design. Experts also believe that China will eventually build a naval base at Gawadar port to add another important location along its sea-lines, the so called, “string of pearls”.

It’s interesting to note how the goal of each country is common; every nation is desperate for peace and stability in their own country and for the people that dwell around them. The problem arises because each nation wants to take a different path to reach the same destination. Hence, the mistrust.

The Afghan President Hamid Karzai in New Delhi stated that he wants India to help Afghanistan meet its security needs. Afghanistan’s military has already been receiving training from India but now the Afghan Army requires military hardware from India too?

We need to remember that this urgent need comes as the death toll of Afghan security personnel reaches around 1,170 - this is three times higher than the number of NATO soldiers killed in 2012.

By 2014 the Afghan Army is to take full charge.

Let’s go back to the Afghan-Indian romance and recall that if India is disturbed with China expanding in Pakistan and investing in developing Afghanistan’s natural resources, Pakistan too, has been very irked with India increasing its influence and goodwill in Afghanistan. Talks with the Taliban haven’t seen any encouraging development (Chequers, Qatar and Brussels meetings haven’t borne any fruit) and now that the expected Prime Minister has signaled for peace talks with the Taliban, Afghans worry that Nawaz Sharif will just reconcile with the Pakistan Taliban and not sort out Afghan Taliban.

It is starkly evident that although Pakistan and Afghanistan – in formal Foreign Office press releases – call each other ‘brother’, bad blood is visible amongst the two neighbours. Border clashes over the issue of Pakistani check posts recently and the exchange of harsh words from the Afghan leadership raise serious questions about what exactly the countries mean when they say they wish to see stability and prosperity in the region. 

Two teams can be seen developing in the region Pakistan- China and India-Afghanistan. But, because the countries that are on the opposite team have mutual interests with each other there is a lot of grey area and this is where all countries require robust diplomatic effort to build trust at least.

We are yet to see any positive impacts of these high level visits that take place between Pakistan, China, India and Afghanistan. So far, one appears to be watching a TV soap episode instead, that should be titled,

 ”How can you be my friend if you’re friends with my neighbour?”

However, for Pakistan, the Chinese Prime Minister’s visit is important not only for its domestic needs in the energy and infrastructure sector but also for forging a better understanding between the new leadership in Pakistan and China, given that Mr Nawaz Sharif has already extended a hand of friendship to India.

Maybe the leaders of all four countries should sit in one room to discuss their respective plans and proposals of peace because the current method is clearly not working!

Read more by Waqas here.

Turns out, it can be an absolutely maddening task, trust me.

I had been trying to apply for a visa to Canada, and as part of the process, I traveled to Islamabad from Peshawar to get my Bachelor’s degree attested. This is a necessary step for everyone who wants to apply for a visa to the US and Canada and even for those who are seeking jobs within Pakistan.

Before leaving Peshawar, I went through all the necessary requirements listed on the Higher Education Commission (HEC) website.

8:00am

I arrived at the HEC office in Islamabad and I was given a slip, which had a number on it by, the gatekeeper. Those with me assumed this was a token number, but as it turns out, it was a number to enter the computer lab for filling and printing the form that was required for further processing.

There was absolutely no guidance, so nobody knew what they were doing.

The queue included people from all over Pakistan because Islamabad is apparently the only place a degree can be attested. We were told that those who entered the gate would be entertained the same day – this was a guarantee.

After printing the form, the only official in the lab, the lab assistant, was assigning actual token numbers to all the visitors. On asking the lab assistant, he told us with certainty that,

“Your work will be done today, you do not need to worry.”

There was no way to confirm this claim from anyone else, as there were only three counters that were busy entertaining the queues of more than 500 visitors.

3:30pm

After hours of waiting, we were told that the payment desk (one of the first stops along the way) has nothing to do with the HEC, and an employee of Habib Bank who was manning it who would, in fact, be leaving at 4:00pm!

This immediately created havoc as the majority of visitors were waiting there since 8:00am – even if their documents were submitted they could not be processed further due to non-payment.

Imagine, now, people from all over Pakistan had gathered in one tiny office to get their documents stamped. Many were to catch a flight later in the day for their hometown, but now, couldn’t leave because even after assuring them that their work would be done, it was not.

Enraged, myself and a group of people went to the DG HEC’s office to register a complaint. After listening to us for a length of time, he assured us that the authorities will entertain us first the next day, rather than new entrants, and guaranteed us that this is how things are done.

Day two

The next day I went to the office again and  got in line. After waiting in the queue for close to seven hours, I reached the desk and I gave all my documents and the degrees to the administrator.

Then came the big blow.

The administrator told me that the title on my degree is Bachelors in Computer Science (Hons) which was different from the one on my Detailed Marks Certificate (DMC – basically a transcript) which is Bachelors in Computer Science (4 years).

After spending two days away from my home, hoping to check off the last task towards getting my visa, I had to leave for Peshawar again, make the necessary changes, travel to Islamabad again, wait in queue for another two days, only to get a lousy stamp on a paper.

Can you believe it?

Why the HEC cannot open offices to attest documents in every major city in Pakistan is beyond me.

Why must people travel hundreds of miles to get their certificates attested? It is a huge waste of time, money and resources.

I request the Chairman Higher Education Commission to take serious notice of the issue and provide attestation facilities at all HEC centers across the country.

Doesn’t this make much more sense?

Note: I am not willing to take the risk of  sending my official university certificates to Islamabad through courier! 

Follow Osama on Twitter @osamayawar

How unfair life is, right?

I thought the same until my maid told me her story.

I was lying in the lounge, depressed as ever. How could God be so unfair? I moaned and I complained. A dumb friend of mine had received an acceptance letter from a university abroad because he could afford it; I couldn’t.

I was still in the worst of all moods when my maid Fatimah brought me a cup of tea and sat down on the floor beside the sofa. She asked me in Sindhi,

“Chah ayein, bacho?”

(What happened, kid?)

I told her the story and she started laughing loudly, as always. Her habit of laughing loud at everything just angered me so much more. She kept her hand on my head and told me that God will make everything okay in due time.

I didn’t want to hear another word, so I buried my face in the cushion.

“Stop crying, beta”, she laughed again.

“This is nothing. You still go to a good school, I know. Your baba loves you. Mine didn’t.”

She laughed loudly again.

“I was around five-years-old when he sold me to my husband. You know how old he was?” she asked, her voice rising. “He must have been 40 at the time.”

“Why?” I quickly asked.

“Money, bacho, money.”

“And then what happened? I asked.

“Then, bacho, the same. He was married already and had four children. The youngest one was six years older than me. He used to physically abuse me. I realised it at a late stage.”

She laughed again. Unable to understand if she was in a stable state of mind, I patted her back asking if she was well.

“I am fine, bacho. I used to clean the entire house and take care of all the family members, you know. Still, I received constant beatings on petty issues,” she told me, smiling.

I pointed at her fake eye which my mother had paid for last week. I asked her how she lost her eye.

“Bacho, one day I was very ill. I was pregnant with my third child when I had a lot of pain in my eye. I asked my husband to take me to the doctor but he constantly refused. It lasted for 20 days and then one night my eye started bleeding and the eye ball fell out. I lost my baby too after a few days then. The doctor in the village told me I was about to die, but then my brother finally came to my rescue and brought the kids and myself to Karachi. Here the doctors saved me. Farishtay (angels) they were, I tell you.”

“You have a daughter and a son? What about your brother? Why do you live with us then?” surprised, I questioned her.

“He threw me out after we came to Karachi. He said he couldn’t afford to keep us three together. It’s been five years now, I haven’t seen my brother. My daughter and son are working in a house three streets from here. Very good people, I tell you. They send my children to school and in return, my children do all the house chores for them. The only thing is the lady only lets me meet my children once in two months. Zeenat is ten and Rizqullah is six.” she told me, the smile still affixed on her face.

Wiping my tears, I asked her “Fatima, how can you live alone?”

In one sentence she gave me all answers.

“Munjhay pas Allah ahay bacho”

(I have God with me, kid.)

And then she laughed again, loudly.

That night I realised how stupid I was, how stupid we are, to cry about our petty issues. We get depressed over the smallest discomforts that life brings to us, but we don’t value what we have. Instead, we get worked up over things that just don’t matter.

Kant rightly said “We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without.”

So laugh through all your tribulations and know that it could be worse. Cherish what you have because there are many out there who can’t afford the happiness that you take for granted.

Follow Ramsha on Twitter @RamshaKohati

Decisions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on seat retention also show that the party is not letting blind optimism guide its choices. Imran Khan’s retention of NA-56, in addition to barring Hanif Abbasi from becoming a contender, will provide PTI a foothold in Rawalpindi, already strengthened by Sheikh Rasheed’s support to the party. And given the performance of Awami National Party (ANP) in the elections and Imran Khan’s support in Mianwali, PTI would have calculated that letting NA-1 and NA-71 go to by-election will be the less risky option. Javed Hashmi’s withdrawal from NA-48 in favour of NA-149 is also part of this strategy, though Asad Umar is likely to face a tough challenge in the contest for the Islamabad constituency.

It is a travesty of the current form of representative democracy that the will of the people becomes secondary to political calculations and it is generally the constituencies, where people have already given an overwhelming support to a particular party, which are the first ones to be abandoned. The people of such constituencies are asked to renew their support for their parties, the voters are asked to pledge their allegiance again, their original will becoming only a factor on which sound calculations can be based.

PTI does not deserve any blame for playing the game to its advantage; it is merely adopting a strategy that may result in the best outcome for the party.

Some would argue that PTI’s compromises to Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are in the same vein of pragmatism – after all, compromises have to be made to form alliances and coalition governments. But the ideological facets underpinning PTI and JI coalition are far more significant than any decisions on seat retention. The news (alleged to be a rumour despite being confirmed by the Ameer of JI and publicised on the party’s website) that the K-P Education Ministry might be handed over to JI caused such a stir amongst the PTI supporters, that the party had to explicitly deny these reports.

PTI leaders have also attempted to downplay any “significant ideological differences” between the two parties. There are those, both amongst PTI supporters and commentators, who are alarmed by this apparent move by PTI towards right-wing politics. The cause for alarm may be justified, but any implication that this is a sudden movement towards the right is unwarranted. Even before the elections, there were negotiations between the two parties on seat adjustment, though the dialogue remained inconclusive.

Going further back, it came to the fore in November 2011 that PTI and JI had decided to produce a joint working paper on possible electoral alliance. And there are several factors that create a common ground for dialogue between them – both parties denounce the so-termed ‘America’s war’ and want to negotiate with the Taliban; both parties have taken an anti-corruption stance; both parties want to implement an Islamic system of governance in Pakistan, regardless of what the actual shape of that might look like.

However, there are crucial differences between PTI and JI as well, the most notable of which is the support base of the two parties. The urban and liberal upper classes that are PTI’s most vocal and prominent supporters may not find much in common, ideologically as well as in terms of socio-economic realities, with the largely conservative groups that JI represents. The supporters of PTI may endorse the party’s alliance with JI on the basis that it has not been in power during the last term, forgetting that JI started its politics decades before Pakistan’s two largest parties were set up.

The PTI workers may follow their leader’s call to move towards an Islamic welfare state, not realising that JI’s idea of political Islam is far more conservative than what they would agree to. The ‘Naya Pakistan’ of PTI is at odds with the old politics of JI, which has in the past supported one dictator after the other; it was JI and Zia’s alliance that resulted in the problems and confusions that still haunt our country today. In its readiness to negotiate with the Taliban, PTI and its supporters are ignoring the fact that JI had a great part to play in the rise of militancy and the creation of Taliban in the first place.

When the United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recently stated that the governing Conservative Party is being dragged towards right-wing politics by the UK Independence Party, he inadvertently alluded to a larger phenomenon in politics that is evident in Pakistan as well. Political parties whose policies are based on reactions rather than sound, well thought out, principles, would always be susceptible to the ideological slogans of hard-lined groups. When Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s comments can provoke Imran Khan into saying that he is not campaigning to get support from Ahmadis, it shows that he may have given some thought to his personal religious beliefs, but not enough to the idea of equality of citizenship for everyone, regardless of their culture, creed, caste or belief. When PTI joins other political parties in signing a declaration barring women voters in Dir, it signifies that the party may have understood the importance of voting, but perhaps not the importance of gender equality.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) bowing down to political religious parties to strengthen its own power base is well documented, as is the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) support for right-wing religious groups – Jamaa-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and PML-N’s coalition in the centre is just another example of that. But PTI supporters should be wary of their party’s gradual move towards more hard-lined positions, mainly because it is a new party that promises equality and change.

During the recent Occupy movements across the world, one of the slogans that gained prominence was,

“If things are not going right, go Left.”

But in the absence of unified and prominent left-wing people oriented ideologies and politics, there is always a danger of parties gradually moving towards right-wing ideologies, alienating different sections of our society, marginalising some communities even further. And we as citizens or supporters of any particular political party should remain cautious and defiant towards these shifts, because in politics, a move to the right is not always for the ‘Right’.