Roti, Kapra, Makaan Aur Shaheed

The physical needs of man are basic enough to be described in merely three words. The sound of the provision of the basic necessities of life sparks a ferocious emotion in the hearts of most our citizens. Such a small price to pay, isn’t it? Promise the people three simple things and you will rule their hearts and of course votes, for generations.
Roti. A thin hot white bread describes a harsher reality than its literal meaning. We are a hungry nation and the allure of promised food is too much for our poor stomachs to resist. This shows how poor our people truly are. Could the Democrats in the United States ever dare to belittle the proud American citizens by promising mere bread? How low are the standards of Pakistani voters that they are swayed by the false but mouthwatering smell of imaginary bread?
Kapra. I am sure that in country like ours, there’s plenty of kapra to go around. The right-wing has made sure of that for half the population already. The heat takes care of the other half. Besides, what significance does a piece of cloth really have to our people? What arouses such an evolutionary construct in the minds of our citizens? Do they want to feel the warmth of mere cloth or do they want to feel the warmth of being protected by their state.
Makaan. This one makes a lot more sense. There are tens of millions of citizens who don’t have access to a permanent residence. Natural calamities like floods leave millions of helpless people without homes. A political notion comprising of an agenda to provide accommodation for our marginalized homeless citizens seems like a rational choice. Why wouldn’t the poorest of poor, the majority, support this political force? All three ingredients, Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan put together sum up an equation, which is too delicious to refuse.
Add some blood into the equation, not regular blood but the most precious kind of blood there is, martyr blood. Spray the blood of your political martyrs onto your ideology like there’s nothing else to it. Make a graveyard so grand that the Sufi Mazaars begin to feel challenged. Now you’ve not only satisfied the political needs of the people but you are beginning to appeal to a more primitive need, a religious longing. Other pirs will start losing their business as thousands flock to the Mazaars of your shaheeds and they will welcome you with open arms and open hearts should you choose to engage with them. Roti, Kapra, Makaan aur Shaheed. Now you’ve got four things covered.
This whole concoction might sound absurd but it is actually the recipe of the most successful political party in the history of Pakistan, the Pakistan People’s Party. A leader founded this party, a leader that was chosen by the people. No matter what ones differences might be with the party, no one can deny that this party mesmerized the masses more times than anyone else.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto founded this party and ruled Pakistan. His daughter inherited the party and ruled Pakistan twice. Her husband then saw himself as the President of Pakistan after her passing. Today, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the Chairman of the party and is carrying the weight of this grand legacy on his shoulders. What needs to be clearly addressed is that a lot of power has been granted to this party on the basis of the promises of the basic necessities of life. The Pakistani voters now demand much more in order to bestow power to these leaders. If the Oxford educated chairman does not comprehend this or does not wish to address this then the chances of coming back in power are slim.
Pakistani citizens are dying of hunger in Thar. Criminals have taken over the law and order situation in Karachi and the only completely safe area seems to fortunately be Bilawal House. Benazir contested the election from Lyari, now it is plagued by gang violence. There is an 85-year-old man who is responsible for running the state of affairs in the province in which you are in power. What is going on?
Democracy is the best revenge. Indeed, and it has taken its revenge from you in the last elections. The ‘jiyalas’ of this party have overwhelmingly high expectations from this party. They need much more than roti, kapra, makaan aur shaheed to be convinced. The biggest problem our beloved country is facing today is the menace of religious extremism. I applaud you for your clear and vocal stance against extremism but if you want to rise up to the stature of your elders, you will need to combat this enemy head on. It is a great cost indeed but hasn’t the founder of this party and his daughter paid the ultimate price? Are you willing to pay that price, if you truly want to be called ‘Bhutto’.