We learn from history that we do not learn from history

All Gear up for Another Ride……………..After 40 years!

 Is Imran khan is on a verge to take this nation for another ride, similar to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto forty years back? Presently our nation is emotionally charged, which is good, but emotions with maturity and sensibility are of more significance and have more fruitful results.

 As Khan, like ZAB promises overnight economic reforms, land reforms, tax reforms, end to corruption, how he will be able to do that, issues so close to his heart for the past 15 years. However after the struggle of many years he was finally able to find a vice chairman for his party: Mr. Shah Mehmod Quareshi, a big name, indeed. Is PTI like others also hungry for big names? And if they are, then pitifully all are fired cartridges.

Still we all are eagerly waiting for a big flash in the pan, a revolution or tsunami to be more appropriate that will transform Pakistan into something different, good or bad we honestly don’t know.

Hopes… Hopes….. Hopes……are we putting our hopes on a right person?

Because the tried vs. untried phenomena will throw us 40 years back. Where a nation was looking for a leader in their desperation of change and the leader took advantage of the situation, brought the so called revolution and sooner it was rejected by everyone because all his policies and strategies of changing things overnight ends up in an ugly and chaotic manner as they  failed on pragmatic grounds.

ZAB like Imran khan was an honest man when he started his political career, not even a single monetary corruption on him, he represented the youth of that time, he too talked about change, he too had a very good command over English language, and he too knew the art of delivering larger than life and reality speeches.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also created and presented a dream land image of Pakistan through his speeches to his followers and supporters. He too had his beguiling words “roti, kapra, makan”. But when he came into power, his lust for power became visible to all those who supported him. And what he promised he could not delivered to the people. And the masses that overwhelmingly supported him in elections were left in lurch “HIGH N DRY” and all the high promises made for change proved to be hollow.

“We learn from history that we do not learn from history” Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
 (Sad but true.)

We know why The Great Bhutto couldn’t deliver, he was handicapped by the establishment, bureaucracy, the landed aristocracy and theocratic mullahs ,and we all  know where he ended up, now what makes “ Imran special”  or different from Bhutto, a part from his hospital, world cup, and Namal.

  

Today when establishment and bureaucracy are more vicious, then it were at the time of ZAB. Which he too claimed  being under his thumb, and now  Imran khan says that they will be under his thumb so what solutions does he have, to rein in the vicious.

Now we are again ready to venture on the same ride with Imran khan in the name of change. It is a “déjà vu”. Are we sure that we are not doing the same mistake again? Because in a way we have tried this school of thought in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Mariam Khan.