By Sardar Khan Niazi
The goal of politics is always to advance the welfare of the people, but politicians often try to enjoy the benefits individually and by the party by creating division instead of serving the people’s interests. The new constitutional crisis in the form of parliament’s tussle with the SC that has emerged showing no signs of abating proves the point.
The origin of the tussle is the dismissal of Imran Khan from power in April last year. He launched a nationwide drive to seek immediate elections. The government and PTI had three rounds of talks but they could not agree on the date of the elections and returned to their hardline positions.
Inflexibility and a confrontational approach contribute to the deadlock. Both sides should have shown responsibility to show rationality to defuse the situation and end the impasse. It was more in the government’s interest. Regrettably, that has not happened. In fact, the bitter statements made by some political leaders vitiated the whole atmosphere. The battle is now back to the top court.
The constitutional mess continues to prevail, as their politics does not revolve around public welfare as their words, actions and their overall stress is on personal interest. The main purpose of politics is to engage oneself voluntarily in political activities for the sake of public service.
The goal of politics is not just to win the election and get the desired position or to form the government, but to conduct recognized activities such as public service. Merely participating in elections and getting favorable results is not going to end the miseries of the people.
Had the goal of politics been public welfare, accord on the election date would have been easy for grassroots parties like PML-N, PPP, PTI, etc. Therefore, the leadership has to work more for public welfare. Only then, it can win people’s hearts.
Our dear homeland has not yet reached its desired goal. Poverty and unemployment are big problems. Unemployment is increasing. Income inequality is also increasing. Corruption is also a major obstacle. Political leaders should remove these problems. That is why we need visionary leadership. Public welfare should be the aim of every political party. Only then, it will be possible to establish a developed and prosperous country.
Even though the philosophy and party manifesto of all political parties are not the same, the election slogan of every political party is public welfare. However, in the post-election period, can slogans contribute to the public welfare? People in the next election, take the opportunity to evaluate it by exercising voting rights.
Political leaders should dedicate their time to the welfare of the people. They should work towards building a developed, prosperous country. I hope they can do that if they are ready to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the people.
However, it is not the case that everyone does politics only for the purpose of public service and gaining legitimate power through elections. Rather, many engage in immoral moneymaking by using political titles.
The politics centered on the election is again in a contradictory position as if it is preparing for a wrestling match. However, politics is not just about getting and staying in power. It is to build a modern state system to realize the welfare of the people and to build a non-communal democratic state.
To create a modern democratic state, there is a need to improve the quality of education and values along with economic development. Only then, our dear homeland can survive and develop to meet the upcoming challenges. There is an urgent need to bring back to the country the politics for the welfare of the people.
