Talks of revenge, throwing shoes will simply destroy the country, leaving all citizens of this land of the pure blind
LAHORE: This is in reference to the report headlined “Student injured in clashes between PTI, PML-N supporters for chanting ‘Go Nawaz Go’” that appeared in The Express Tribune on October 1. Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s tweet about the Wazirabad incident was shocking. The right of expression, free speech and writing has been granted by the Constitution of Pakistan — this is the beauty of democracy that every citizen enjoys equal rights and is free to criticise the rulers. The threatening tweet by Ms Nawaz seems to be the start of the politics of revenge, and at the end of the day, it will be democracy that will suffer an irreparable loss. Just few years ago, the PML-N was the most vocal political party, chanting slogans of ‘go Zardari go’. Why is that slogan considered to be a democratic way of expression, while ‘go Nawaz go’ is a form of ‘vandalism’. Wazirabad’s unfortunate incident, according to Ms Nawaz, was a “trailer”. Every peace-loving citizen of Pakistan is now wondering what the real show will be like.
Benazir Bhutto’s famous saying “democracy is the best revenge” stands true for all times to come. This is the time when the PML-N, instead of issuing threatening statements, should be showing patience and handling the situation in a democratic, peaceful way. The present political crisis is being blown out of proportion by the government. Its solution does not entail the use of threats. Instead, it should be solved through utilising democratic, globally accepted norms and principles. Mahatama Gandhi very correctly said, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” Talks of revenge and throwing shoes will simply destroy the country, leaving all the citizens of this land of the pure blind.
Aamir Aqil
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2014.
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