Is it over?

When the election frenzy began, it was exciting and tense because so many of  us had decided to go out and vote on the 11th of May for the first time. Most of the people had an attitude like me..'why bother voting for anyone because in the end it's gonna be the same old system with new faces anyway?' The record turnout for the elections this time goes to show that the people were willing to use their power of decision for better or for worse. Getting the blue thumb and permanent ink mark is more of a symbol of freedom for all of us. Going through all the process of balloting was exhilarating for me and my family because we were all first-timers! All of us remained glue to our television sets for watching how the elections unraveled. Shockingly, there were countless attempts to terrorize the voters in different regions of the country by verbal assaults, gunfire, hand grenades and bomb blasts. In some places the ballot papers were spirited away and the staff members of the polling stations were harassed or abducted. There were numerous cases of cheating and deception, even though everything was captured by the roving eye of the media. Still the voters remained undeterred and waited in long queues for many hours, just so that they do not miss out this opportunity to vote.

I view the results of the general elections with a certain degree of distaste though..maybe because I expected the people to be more inclined towards emerging leaders rather than the tried and tested politicians, who have had their chances and failed miserably at them...But nonetheless, the winds of change simply uprooted the most recent ruling parties, especially in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa region. The Pathans who are ridiculed for their simplicity, showed that they are simple but not stupid, unlike the more educated and elan folks. I felt a rush of pride when I heard the results for the KPK because it meant the locals were willing to open up for new options and get rid of all the redundant politicians, who had done nothing more than changing the name of the province :p The people in other provinces also made their choices, which I hope will serve them well and lead them to betterment rather than regret. Abraham Lincoln said, "The ballot is stronger than the bullet" and how right was he...the results of the elections show that people did away with all those leaders whom they did not think worthy of being in the highest echelons of the Government...killing them with bullets would have definitely been more difficult ;)

The manifestos of the different political parties covered a wide spectrum of issues concerning the country and the campaigns and political rallies/gatherings used different tactics to endorse those manifestos. The results come as a majore disappointment to some but are good news for others. The 'Tsunami' of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf may look like it has fizzled out but there is more to it than meets the eye...Imran Khan may not have paraded and killed a Bengali Tiger in his political campaign, but he pulled millions of people out of their  'don't care' condition by simply talking to them! He planted the seeds of change in the entire country and provoked the people to think and act, rather than berate their luck. I unabashedly admit I voted just because I was motivated by his speeches and he inspired me to be more than just a bystander in the quest for change. His party may not have secured the desired number of seats at the national or provincial level but  he has managed to acquire a platform to voice his thoughts on all future decisions of Pakistan. The intangible result of this election has very deep-reaching repercussions so I ask you...do you think it is over? Or do you believe it is the first step in our country's journey towards a new era?