In the morning of February 19, we surely woke up in a different Pakistan—one that might take us out of the recurrent crises in politics, the acute security predicament, and the widespread societal disillusionment. A Pakistan that looks more promising in terms of people’s aspirations for ever greater democracy, freedom, prosperity and peace in the country.
The verdict of the people of Pakistan is loud and clear: Mr President, show some grace and go home. The February 18 elections are a no-confidence in the policies of President Pervez Musharraf who, one hopes, will read the writing on the wall. The stunning defeat of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is in fact a big blow to President Musharraf and a humiliating message to all those who had associated themselves with him against the will of the people who suffered the pain of his political, social and economic tyranny since 1999.
President Musharraf had neither risen to the level of a statesman who would win the hearts and minds of his people, nor did he associate himself with an overwhelming majority of 160 million. Though he had always claimed that he was popular with the people, the fall of his men in the elections is a referendum against him.
Any sane person in his place would not wait for a single minute to decide and resign after all his handpicked ministers ate the dust. All of them have been reduced to the third position and that too far behind the winners and runner-ups of the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). “I will quit, if my supporters lose,” is what he used to say with arrogance, suggesting that nothing on earth could weaken him. Now the time has come and the verdict is there.
Given his track record, one doubts that he would seize the opportunity and step down telling the nation that he kept his promise to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. After the defeat of his supporters, there is no moral justification for him to stay in power. This could possibly be an “honourable” exit for him as the generous people of Pakistan might forgive him for all the woes he had brought to them but the choice is his.
He should sit alone for sometime and realize that in the defeat of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat is his political defeat, in the defeat of Humayun Akhtar and Omar Ayub Khan is the defeat of his economic policies, in the defeat of Naseer Khan and Zubaida Jalal is the defeat of his health and education policies, in the defeat of Khurshid Kasuri is the defeat of his foreign policy, in the defeat of Ijazul Haq is the defeat of his religious policy, in the defeat of Sheikh Rasheed and Sarwar Khan is the defeat of his transport and labour policies, in the defeat of Dr Sher Afgan and Chaudhry Amir Hussain is the defeat of his parliamentary policies, in the defeat of Liaquat Jatoi is the defeat of his water and power policy and in the defeat of Danyal Aziz is the defeat of his local government system. The list goes on.
Faisal Saleh Hayat, Sumaira Malik and Amir Muqam are the only ministers, who had won the 2002 elections on the PPP and National Alliance’s tickets and as an independent respectively but had later joined Musharraf, who have won on the PML-Q ticket this time. Jehangir Tareen and Zahid Hamid had won in 2002 on the PML-Q tickets and again made it to the national assembly this time but the former on the PML-Functional and the latter on the PML-N’s ticket. This also goes against President Musharraf in a sense that whoever left the PML-Q or dissociated himself from President Musharraf has won the election.  
On the whole, the defeat of a majority of the cabinet members who had served under former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who himself did not have the courage to stay in Pakistan after he was refused a ticket to contest the election from the platform of the PML-Q, is a clear and complete rejection of President Musharraf’s unpopular and anti-people policies. Ironically, all these so-called heavyweights have been knocked out by the candidates of the PML-N, a national political party they had left in their love for a dictator. The dramatic comeback of the PML-N has also proved that a politician is far better a leader than a usurper and a dictator. Musharraf had booted Nawaz Sharif, and Nawaz has now voted him out.    
The message from the people is that President Musharraf is not acceptable to them any more because the more he stays in power the greater will be the problems of this country. Mr President, you may be the darling of the West but you are certainly not popular among the Pakistanis whose hearts do not beat with you. So, the time has come for you to have mercy on this nation and leave.