LAHORE:
There is a saying in Greek Mythology that “when the gods get angry, they make you go mad.” Why is the federal government stirring up the proverbial hornet’s nest, in which it alone is likely to be the major casualty. The PTI got elected precisely because the PML-N had failed to deliver to the masses. Those who voted for PTI expected things to improve, not to go from bad to worse. Criticism by the media reflects unease in the country and should never be dismissed as fake news. This Trump-like phobia of terming criticism as fake news will not serve the government. At the end of day PM Imran Khan alone will have to bear the burden of rejection. His team, dominated by mediocrity and lacking basic skills of governance, will vanish into the wilderness and re-emerge serving another master while the political engineers will back another horse.
The PTI government’s needless and unwarranted decision to confront the media and the Election Commission and simultaneously allow a campaign to be launched against some in the superior judiciary is a recipe for self-destruction. Instead, the government should focus on governance, rising inflation, economy, deteriorating law and order situation, and a host of other problems.
A government elected on popular vote was expected to consolidate its vote bank by delivering to the people. Such popularly elected governments, once in power, can only retain their popularity through performance and catering to welfare of the most deprived sections of the country and the middle class that exercises their right to vote. Unfortunately, PTI like many of its predecessors, is surrounded by too many sycophants, who make their leadership live in an Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, instead of having their finger on the pulse of the people.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2021.
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