Martial law enters the scene and the general public distributes sweetmeat in the streets
RAWALPINDI: Ever since Imran Khan’s call to march on to Raiwind, some of the more loyal than the king Noon Leaguers are trying to outdo each other in demonstrating their loyalty to the Sharif brothers by raising danda bardar, zaeem jan nisar, anda and tamatar and even female forces are brandishing their dandas, gandasas, kulharis and sotas, declaring openly and threateningly in uncivilised language, to break the legs of anyone marching to Raiwind or to gouge the eyes of anyone casting an eye in that direction. The PTI workers, too, as a natural and quite expected reaction, have taken a similar stance and intend to arm themselves with cricket bats, hockey sticks and lathis for the likely and possible combat between the two. Do they realise what are they up to and where all it could lead? When tempers are high and the leaders nincompoops, things are quite likely to go out of control. Mass hysteria could lead to a bloody civil war. And, what happens when there is a civil war or even a looming danger of one? Martial law enters the scene and the general public distributes sweetmeat in the streets. Do we want it or should it happen?
Col Riaz Jafri (retd)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2016.
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