Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah must have tired of the same-old walk down the squabbling lane when he tried his hands at a different sort of mayhem. Trouble was what he asked and trouble was what he definitely got. Raising the separatist banner–that too, without holding back any punches–is no small feat. For under no circumstances can such talk be ignored as a dysfunctional dance in the heat of the moment. Choosing to fan the flames of the notorious polarisation reflects poorly on the political astuteness of the PPP leaders because he too should have been mindful of his words, especially in the December blues. After all, timing is everything.
Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who enjoys a typical adversarial wavelength with the party’s knight in Sindh, immediately shot back. Why hurl the same threats every single time, he quipped. And going by the frequency with which a sitting chief minister pokes the democracy bear, his vitriol is well-founded. Sensing the grave repercussions of such a blistering exchange, the Bilawal camp deemed it better to make a great spectacle of its patriotism. That he had to take a jibe at an unfortunate blob on the credibility of a political party to rubber-stamp his flag-waving speaks volumes about everything wrong with our political hallways. The third-largest political power of the country had to shout out to the world that it had always raised the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad to steer clear of a dangerous tide. Most likely, because it was a little too aware of how the ghaddar game was played. Our fragile democracy has yet to come out of the shadows of the “India ka Yaar” charades. Remember when powers-that-be had maligned none other than the sister of our founding father as a “foreign agent.” To our great misfortune, we are still trapped in the same dirty quicksand. As the country’s worst paranoias continue to sustain their self-permeating cycle, it is phenomenally easy to brand someone an enemy of the state. A much-needed safeguard against the widespread authority to hand out patriotism certificates here, there, and everywhere is to toe the right line.
While there could not be a greater need to snap out of these destructive proclivities, just as important is for those sitting on the pinnacles of authority to realise their great responsibilities. Inflammatory discourse may be in vogue but sparring roads seldom lead to Zion.
