The current local government system is dominated by the PML-N and its cronies.The conversation between Jehangir Tareen, Pervez Elahi and others leaked over the weekend was more a China power inverter Suppliers storm in a teacup than real news.Hence, it is not hard to believe that if such a debate is going on in the PTI, its proponents will eventually win over Khan because this is how political parties function.But the challenge will be to balance the needs of power with the reform agenda, instead of picking one over to the other. To abandon the latter entirely will not help Khan in the long run. Power or rather winning power takes precedence over reform. That for the time being, the old system of parliamentarians spending on local affairs should continue till there is greater confidence that the elections at the local level will yield a naya Pakistani.
Imran Khan wants to deliver local government and an independent, autonomous police force to Punjab but those around him fear that in the process, the party may lose its tenuous grip on the province. Some go so far as to say that the purana fears have already out-argued the naya idea of empowered local governments for the time being. If he doesn’t lay down a brick or two of naya Pakistan, he might not continue to win elections in a purana Punjab.Who doesn’t know that Punjab operates with a weak chief minister and multiple power centres? And that the Chaudhries of Gujarat are one power centre, and an important one at that? And given that Tareen was in their party once, it’s no surprise that they would be talking to him about their differences with Chaudhry Sarwar.
Nawaz Sharif’s friction with the military, his efforts to up the ante and the conflict that followed sent the message that the party was in no position to win — despite this, the PTI just about managed to form a government in Lahore (with the help of allies).By arrangement with Dawn. Perhaps, here too the exigencies of power have convinced Khan to wait a while to build naya Pakistan.No wonder then that little has been heard of police reforms, another PTI mantra.And no one can guarantee the PTI can repeat this "act" come the next election because the PML-N may or may not be facing a similar assault from the powers that be. That is what we had been promised.