Pakistan has voted for the Pakistan Muslim League headed by Nawaz Sherif who will now be back on the hot seat in Islamabad after 14 years. The PMU has held Punjab while the PPP and the MQM should form the government in Sind. Surprisingly, the PTI led by the cricket icon, Imran Khan managed to dig its heels in urban areas although it could not make it to have a say in government formation. However, for the first time the party has become a body to reckon with in the National Assembly. It has now a great deal of influence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. All said and done, Pakistani voters stayed within the traditional party system. The people stood for democracy and there was a heavy turnout despite Taliban violence. The results of the general election should cause hard thinking in the Pakistan military establishment, the ISI and the higher judiciary.
The government of course faces daunting challenges. There is no cause for euphoria. Power outages remain a big problem threatening the country’s infrastructure. Finances are in a mess and economic reform should be a priority on the new government’s agenda. Security is at stake and Nawaz Sherif will have to go all out to build a bridge with the army. With the US determined to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, greater urgency has been added to regional diplomacy. Sectarian strife and religious extremism need to be rooted out to consolidate Pakistan’s democracy. Peace is on Nawaz Sharif’s lips and he promises to resume a dialogue with India left off with the Lahore declaration. Sharif was thrown out of power and exiled in 1999 and he is now anxious to promote amity with other centres of power. India should also be ready to take the initiative in reciprocating Islamabad’s professed goodwill.