KARACHI:
All politicians are equal, but some are more equal than others. Our politicians are often criticised for making hasty and presumptuous statements that have a short shelf life. Perhaps these statements emerge impulsively when politicians are in autopilot mode. The opponents of the now imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan often alleged that he used drugs (anabolic steroids) to sustain the rigour of his dharnas and exhaustive rallies. He garnered the reputation of a demagogue because of his impassioned speeches that attracted the youth.
Let’s acknowledge the merits of the facetious arguments and consider two resulting corollaries. First, how is the former prime minister surviving without drugs now that he is in jail? Second, perhaps he received the drugs from the jail staff. Isn’t this a catch-22 situation for the PDM leaders? Since Nawaz Sharif’s return, PML-N members have vociferously claimed that Nawaz Sharif is the panacea of all the woes and sufferings of Pakistan. He holds the key to Pakistan’s problems. Once again, two corollaries contradict common sense. First, the simple question is why didn’t he pass that key to his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister of Pakistan, to bring Pakistan out of the economic quagmire. This means Nawaz did not trust his brother, which signals power politics.
Second, if Nawaz Sharif had been sincere to the Pakistani people, he should have revealed the key secrets to the incumbent government for the sake of the people and busted the myth that he hankers after the chair. If Nawaz Sharif had a magic wand, why did he wait so long to save Pakistan, which is now nearing a default? Since he hasn’t relinquished the wand, it’s a clear display of selfishness on his part, which aligns with the Machiavellian ruler described in ‘The Prince’. Doesn’t this seem self-contradictory?
M Nadeem Nadir
Kasur
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2023.
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