I think he made a great point about PTI. PTI has been taken over by old lotas & IK has turned into single issue politician. Good luck to AAPP 
Pakistan activists work to float own version of AAP - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Now, thereâs Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) effect across the border too. Inspired by Arvind Kejriwalâs battle against corruption, a small bunch of activists in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are working to float their own version of the party by March. An eight-city membership drive, including adjoining villages and small towns, is already on.
âWe read about AAPâs work in India as reported in the Pakistani media. The issue of corruption is the same here as in your country. Our political leaders are the same as yours. AAP has set a good example by taking up this issue,â says chief organiser Arshad Sulahri, a 38-year-old social activist and former journalist from Rawalpindi, told TOI on phone.
The organizers claim to have received positive feedback in their drive to recruit members. âWe have got about a 1,000 applications from the Rawalpindi-Islamabad area alone. By March 23 this year, we plan to have a final list of members ready and begin working formally,â says Sulahri. Those involved are currently working out of offices set up in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Lahore is likely to be the party headquarters.
At present, the online presence of AAP, Pakistan is restricted to a wordpress blog, a Twitter account (@aamaadmipartypk) with just two tweets and 10 followers, and a Facebook page (Aam Aadmi Party - Pakistan) with a mere 81 likes.
Thereâs little mention of Sulahriâs initiative in Pakistanâs mainstream press too. Human rights activist Asma Jahangir told TOI she hadnât heard of them. However, Taimur Rahman of Laal, an alternative music band known for its politically-themed songs, said that he had come across a Facebook page of the party about a week back, but is unaware of the people associated with the party. Sulahri says he depended on his activist group Youth Forum Pakistan to gather an initial group of core members.
When contacted on the phone number listed on the blog, Sulahri told TOI that a combination of two factors â AAPâs rise in India and disenchantment with Imran Khan â inspired him to start an Aam Aadmi Party in Pakistan. âWhen Imran did a jalsa in Lahore, many people participated. Lots of them were poor people. But when the partyâs central committee was formed, there was hardly any representation of the common man. The possibility of a common man contesting and serving the country ended there. There were big hopes from him, but we ended up disappointed,â says the Rawalpindi-based Sulahri, who speaks only Urdu and Punjabi.
Rahman is of the view that it would be harder for a new party to break ground in Pakistan, where politics is controlled by âa small power eliteâ. However, he would like to keep some room for âsurprisesâ. âIn India, the Anna Hazare movement mobilized enough people for the AAP to be born. In Pakistan, the lawyersâ movement strengthened the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI). In the last two-three years there have been several sporadic protests on issues such as power supply. But the level of mobilization with the Anna Hazare protest was different. If something like that happens, then yes, a new political force in Pakistan is possible. Otherwise, I donât see it happening,â says Taimur, a political activist himself.
The AAP Pakistan is currently only willing to accept members between ages 18 and 50. Those associated with foreign-funded NGOs, MNCs and the army, says Sulahri, are being kept out. âWe have to be careful about such people and observe them. Hum koi bhi khaas aadmi shaamil nahin karenge (We wonât include any special or powerful person),â he says.
An active role in politics might still be a good few months away, but Sulahri is clear that AAP Pakistan will want friendly relations with India. âPakistan spends a lot of money on the border. We want to use the same money to serve the common people. For that, both India and Pakistan will need to be friendly and cooperative,â he says. Prashant Bhushanâs take on the Kashmir issue, that there should be a referendum on army presence in the strife-torn state, has been taken positively. âThat is the right thing to do. It is important to take into consideration what the masses want,â says Sulahri. Itâs another matter that Bhushanâs take has been discounted by the AAP leadership.