An echo of India’s Aam Aadmi Party in Pakistan

Arvind Kejriwal may well have found his doppelganger in Pakistani civil servant Adnan Randhawa. Like Kejriwal, he quit civil service and now heads a political outfit called the Aam Aadmi Party Pakistan (AAPP).

The AAPP, formed a fortnight ago, is the second AAP-like venture in Pakistan.

Earlier this year, Arslan-ul-Mulk of the Pakistan Muhajir League re-christened his party Aam Aadmi Party. Actually, Pakistan has mirrored India's anti-corruption movement on more occasions than one. A year ago, Tahir ul Qadri, a sufi cleric in his 60s, earned the moniker 'Pakistan's Anna Hazare' when he returned home from Canada to lead a movement against corruption in Islamabad.

Though Randhawa has had no direct contact with Kejriwal, he applauds his success, and calls the parallels between his life and that of Kejriwal "a beautiful coincidence." Randhawa was with Pakistan's Foreign Service, which he quit after his government provided a safe passage to CIA agent Raymond Davis.

The leader feels that both the AAPs reflect the crystallization of anger and discontent against the ruling elite. "This anger first spilled over with the formation of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) led by cricketer Imran Khan)," says Randhawa, who was once a member of the party.

He grew disillusioned with PTI and its politics, which, he says he felt, was lacking in freshness. "When the party was first formed, it propagated a new order and a new thought that took on the existing political mafia. But PTI later opened its doors to the same ruling elite," says Randhawa in a telephonic interview with Sunday Times of India. He also feels that PTI eventually swung sharply to the right.

Randhawa's AAPP presents a coherent ideology. Its manifesto, which supports a secular, socialist, plural, liberal democracy, echoes the opening lines of India's constitution. Unlike the AAP, Randhawa's party lays greater emphasis on national rejuvenation. His rejuvenation drive will draw from the country's rich past. "Over 60 years ago, India and Pakistan were one country. We have had a rich culture and religious philosophy. We were once a first world country," says Randhawa. As for the role of Pakistan's omnipresent army, he stands firm on the need for civilian supremacy. "The army is the pride of Pakistan and should be strengthened for defense purposes, but should not be involved in politics," he adds.

Poverty alleviation is high up on Randhawa's agenda. He admits that the announcement of the AAPP was met with moderate enthusiasm in Pakistan, but he points out that in India, too, the AAP took time to grab national attention till it won the Delhi election. But unlike the Indian party, which had little time to prepare for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AAPP has four years during which it can build its base before Pakistan goes to polls.

Randhawa hails from Burewala in south Punjab, a region that may prove challenging for the fledgling party. "The patron-client or vertical power relations in south Punjab are too deeply ingrained to create room for a movement of this sort," says Sanee Sajjad, an agriculturist and researcher from Pakistan. The same, though, was also said for Kejriwal before his unexpected victory in Delhi. While the AAP used powerful symbolism such as the Nehru topi and broom, Randhawa is looking for an indigenous symbol to represent the party. Right now, he is busy charting a national agenda for the party.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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