Around 2004, I was
over at a Pakistani American community gathering. It was filled with students and young
professionals who had interest in Pakistan affairs as well as the political
process in the United States. We were
building on something special. There was
a Pakistani American state representative, Saghir “Saggy” Tahir, in New
Hampshire at the time. There was a level
of optimism, not only in matters concerning Pakistan, but also, the rise of
Pakistani Americans in politics. People
were engaged and more informed. There
was a greater level of enthusiasm for interest in getting involved in the
political process, wherever it would be.
I was a college student then,
very optimistic of the future. I thought
that by 2012, we would have someone of Pakistan origin elected to the US House
of Representatives. It’s 2016,
and that hasn’t happened…yet.
Then things started to change years later, 2007 brought the
lawyers movement which lead to the rise of the PPP. With Asif Zardari ascending in to the office
of the Presidency in Pakistan, came the drop in enthusiasm towards politics. And while that drop in enthusiasm was
reflected towards Pakistan politics, indirectly, it has a subconscious effect
on the Pakistani American public. Then
came the 2013 election campaign. The
Pakistani American public had great interest in participating in the political
process. That $10 a month help change an
entire political party, oh yea, but something else was happening. While the world had their attention on the “Arab Spring,”
overseas Pakistanis were much more interested in their own spring, the PTI
Tsunami.
Whether you loved or hated Imran Khan, everyone was paying attention
to the PTI Campaign. It revolutionized
the political campaign process in Pakistan.
Twitter and Facebook were critical components of PTI’s campaign
success. While the extent to which the
campaign could have been successful can be argued, social media is the reason
why Imran Khan has become a mainstream politician in Pakistan. Pakistan is going through change, primarily because more people from civil society are engaged in the political process.
However, we haven't taken politics seriously here in the United States. One of my personal experiences has been dealing with community leaders. The community
uncles and aunties would and still often lecture me on the need to be involved in the
political process here in the United States.
But I have come to learn that most of these uncles and aunties are all
talk and no action. What they don’t
realize is that I have been much more involved in the political process here
much more than they know of. They will give you a
ten minute lecture on the need to be involved in a political process in the US but they won’t even contribute $10 towards a political campaign for a Candidate for Congress,
even if the community uncle or aunt drive a luxury car. The
Pakistani American community has a highly educated population. But unless you are involved in the political
process, no one is going to take you seriously, that's reality.
This is why some Presidential campaigns are taking advantage of that, as well as the congressional campaigns. This is why myths are seen as realities. This is why mainstream media, instead of countering the misconceptions of Pakistan, become the advocates of certain interests to exploit the weaknesses of Pakistan.
The problem within the Pakistani American community is that
we do not take politics seriously. By
seriously, bashing Donald Trump or talking about Pakistan
Politics doesn't count. What counts is running for office. to run for
office. When someone takes advantage of the opportunities to run for
office, we are a supporter by words, but little by action. Sure, we support those Congressmen who
already are elected, but we do not jump at the opportunities to help others get
elected. We accept the establishment as
it is, not what it can be. We can do
better. If a lower middle class person like me can help a campaign doing my small part, certainly the Pakistani American elite can do theirs. They should realize that there is more to life than making money or having community gatherings.
It doesn’t matter how educated you are and how you have been
successful as an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter if you are on the cover of the
magazine if you have bought a football team, or some monetary achievement. What matters is politics. People have the ability to make a difference,
but you must believe in it. In terms of
Pakistani Americans, there are a few who are running for office.
At the state level, Dr. Saud Anwar running
for 14th District state House seat in Connecticut. The other, Ali Mirza, is running for the
Democratic nomination for US Congress from New York’s 5th
Congressional district. This is a start,
but both campaigns need critical support.
Especially from the Pakistani American community. It’s time for the Pakistani Americans to put
action behind their words. Even a small
contribution can go a long way towards making a difference. In both of these races, the Pakistani American community has an opportunity at an incremental rise.
