Hopefully most of you would have read the fresh episode of Haalim by now. I got some confused emails and some disappointing emails and some happy emails after that. My problem is, I am a writer whose loyalty lies more with her pen than with the “feelings” of her readers. (Sorry!)
Someone asked me, “should we not vote then?”
My answer is, I cannot write stories about “how things SHOULD happen!” I have to write about how things DO happen. About how the world works. About how the politics works. And how the fangirls and fandom works.
There are three types of people.
Datin kind, who are pessimistic and don’t vote at all, because they don’t HOPE. Then there are Adam kind who are busy in their own lives but do have an opinion and go out and vote. And then there are Taaliyah kind folks who are crazy fans of their star celebrities and they crazily work for campaigns (even if on social media level) and make sure their candidate wins.
Haalim is not about “not voting”. Those who think we shouldn’t vote are reading a different story from what I have written. A novel usually has many conflicts, characters give their opinions and in the end the reader weighs all opinions and gets his conclusion. “In the end”, I repeat. Haalim still hasnt ended so the conflicts and opinions haven’t yet resolved.
Haalim is about a man promising his nation IDEAL promises because (from the episode One I told you) he is an idealist. Haalim is about a “fangirl” who keeps herself glued to her leader and believes that once he comes into power, there will be 1000 years of peace and prosperity! Haalim is about staying true to your word and how challenging that could be.
I gave many speeches in this episode compelling you to VOTE. Even if your candidate doesn’t have a chance, you have to go out there and vote for your own self esteem. Even he becomes a “bad guy” later on, you must vote. I could have told you that in a 5 minute lecture too. I could also tell you to take hijaab or stand up against brutal murders in lectures too. Why did I write Namal and JKP then, eh?
Because in Namal when a mediocre family went up against a powerul family in court, it had consequences. If you start wearing hijaab, it has consequences. My job as a writer is to show you a full picture of the problem at hand. When you vote, it will have consequences too! Your leaders are not going to fail you but your expectations eventually will. Has anyone prepared our people for that time? Nay. I want to. Vote and cast your opinion. But remember ! Election is not the endgame. If you are a social activist your job does not end with an election. Election is just a beginning. Be prepared for all kind of scenarios afterwards.
Now what to do if your candidate does not deliver?
People (like Daatin) will shame you for believing in the electoral system in the first place. If you don’t vote, you will stay like her always, eating your own cake alone, pessimist about future! (Do you guys not notice the symbolism in Haalim btw?)
If you vote, and your leader doesn’t keep his promise, you will become either like Adam who gets shocked but soon starts defending his leader (like you will read later on- sorry for the spoiler) Or you will become like Taaliyah who gets heartbroken, quits following her leader, comes out of her fandom and becomes disappointed in him.
Which attitude is right? Which attitude should be our attitude ? For that you have to read my novel till the very end. I always wanted to write about a politician who does not live upto his own set standards and explore what to do THEN? There are many similarities between Haalim and current scenario of Pakistan and I put them there myself and for that I was accused of supporting a political party. I didn’t say anything then because I knew that when they would read the part about “a leader disappointing his followers” they will get a different perspective. I wish you all the luck. Whosoever you vote for. BUT Don’t fight with your friends and relatives over your political choices. Don’t hate people if they like a leader that you dislike . And DONT idealise a leader. And MUST prepare for the aftermath of an election. If your leader does not deliver, then his biggest supporters should become his biggest critics. How to have the courage to do so? And how to learn to speak the truth when your leader is mistaking? Keep reading Haaalim and it would explore these questions !
Nemrah
Here: Novel - Haalim By Nimra Ahmed, Episode 16, August 2018Next episode kub ari he veer bhai.