Whether PM Khan is feeling the heat from the turbocharged drive to bring about a climactic ending to his act, his aggressive wrangling of the opposition forces was an incredibly ill-advised move. No matter how sabre-rattling the other side may seem, the onus to preserve decorum and political decency always falls on the shoulders of those enjoying the hot seat. Whoever thinks otherwise would do well to remember the no-punches-pulled (some may say, extremely vile) speeches atop shipping containers of the recent past. Name-calling and waving of ultimatums may have then passed as a questionable exercise of freedom of speech but a rant from a position of power makes literally no sense; poking holes in the official all is well narrative.
Leading political parties are quite right in pulling this “national embarrassment” to pieces, but had they dared take a closer peek at their discourse before pulling out all guns, there might have been some hope for the fast-cascading morality of Pakistani politics. May it be the disgraceful accusations that reverberate across parliamentary sessions or the obsession with airing dirty laundry in public gatherings, our largely disfigured, obnoxious politics never fails to deliver. Outright frustration aside, PM Khan had a chance to chart the course towards better isles in his tenure. After all, he had (very early on in his journey) chosen to strike at the civilised society for support. Had the ruling party been interested in a chivalrous code of honour, a good starting ground could have been keeping its representatives on a short leash, especially those known for reprehensible spectacles on national television. However, all goodness trickles down from a leader’s golden pedestal and if a sitting prime minister sees no harm in tearing down an opponent here and slandering a mainstream leader there, why expect any light to shine through. Let the dirty games continue!
