Pakistan goes out to vote tomorrow. I hope we do.
It does not matter who you go vote for, as that's every citizen's personal choice and decision. As long as we go out there and cast our vote, we're fulfilling our responsibility as Pakistanis.
Considering my constituency is NA131 PP 159, I will be voting for Imran Khan (official) and Dr. Murad Raas tomorrow. Here's the rationale for my decision to vote:
1. I'm not voting for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the first time. I had the good fortune of listening to Imran Khan's first, rather low on oratory skills speech in 1997 where he talked about eradicating "corruption" and justice for all; I heard him just last night, 22 years on, he still talked about eradicating corruption and justice for all. Despite all of the, as some claim, "U-Turns", the core of his politics remains the same.
2. Talking of the manifesto of the party, if given an opportunity, it covers areas as critical as ways to transform governance and strengthening the federation. It talks about an inclusive approach to economic growth by uplifting agriculture, building dams and conserving water. They aspire to transform social services and there is immense focus on ensuring national security. It's a holistic and focused approach to run a country's affairs.
3. In their 5 year tenure in KPK, they have gone to improve governance by strengthening the police, improving the state of hospitals, promoting education for children across the province, setting up small power projects, focusing on the right to information and the right to services, and passing the accountability & the conflict of interest bills respectively. These are small improvements for a province that was considered below par in many ways back in 2013.
4. Considering some members of my family were involved in 1997 when he launched the party 22 years ago; I can vouch for the fact that his "politics of idealism" which was made fun of has evolved over these 2 decades. He now stands as an experienced politician, if you evaluate his decisions in the realm of "what works in our political system of Pakistan"; please only evaluate without pre-set bias.
5. Imran Khan is the hardest working politician at present (Over 60 jalsas within 10 days is just a small display of that) - Never, whether as an individual nor when in power, has he been accused of financial corruption; his opponents have always resorted to personal attacks which in today's age of media, do not even last or matter. His life has been full of contributions to Pakistan, whether as a sportsman, a philanthropist or as a politician. Pakistan's politics has changed due to the Imran Khan factor.
Imran Khan has taught me the importance of resilience, of never giving up & aiming high. No other individual, aspiring to be the premier of our country inspires me more. Hence, he stands as a clear choice for my vote. Whether he wins or not tomorrow hardly matters - I stood by him when he failed over & over again. I hope I get to see him win tomorrow; if not .. the struggle shall continue!
Pakistan Zindabad!
P.S: This post is NOT intended to convince anyone to vote for the party I support. We all have a right to our own choices!