Untruly and unfaithfully yours

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was a circus we all enjoyed, while it lasted. A source of elation for many, with its stints of unfounded patriotism every now and then, enough to keep the masses engaged and entertaining enough to keep them coming back for more.

From this entire fiasco, Imran Khan learned that everything has a price. You can buy just about anything if you have the money. But, the one thing money can never buy is loyalty.

When Khan was putting together PTI, his gullible self failed to realise that he was recruiting a lot which were unaware of what loyalty meant.

This lot consisted of individuals who were drop-outs of their primary political affiliations and would jump towards the next best opportunity they would get. And that is exactly what happened.

Subsequent to the events of 9^th May, Khan’s men who used to hail their supreme leader and give out statements such as ‘hum akhri wakt tak Khan ke saath khare hain’ and ‘humare sar pe goli rakh ke chala do lekin hum Khan ka saath nahi choreinge’ have all reneged and left PTI. To make things worse, this lot of seasoned politicians have not only resigned from PTI but have gone on to join Jahangir Tareen’s new political party labeled Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party. The very same Jahangir Tareen who was ousted from PTI by Khan. Karma really does have its way of getting back to you.

But now the question beckons, how does this lot of seasoned yet unfaithful and disloyal politicians look at themselves in the mirror every night? Not two months ago, they were singing praises of Khan. These same individuals were assuring Pakistanis of staying strong during hard times. Where did all the zeal, enthusiasm and passion go? These defectors, who remained members of the parliament and members of the national assembly, is this the best they could do? Leave their leader during tough times?

I am not and I have never been a PTI fan because, thankfully, I put my grey matter to good use. But, for all the PTI fans, where do you guys look now? What do you do? All these men and women who were rooting for Khan and his men, are they going to be left isolated and deserted? PTI and its members always advocated for ‘saving’ Pakistan. The people who were supposed to ‘save’ Pakistan and who were ready to take a bullet for Khan have left him high and dry and in harm’s way.

Kids, never trust a politician who has been a member of more than one political party because that in itself, speaks volumes about his credibility.

My question to Jahangir Tareen is: are you sure you want these deceitful members in your party? Are you sure they won’t take you down with them or rather leave you when you’re falling down?

It’s funny to see that many big names, who promised with all their heart and soul that they would lay down their life for Khan, left him in a heartbeat. Are these the people for whom the citizens were out in the streets, getting tear-gassed, shelled and taking rubber bullets for?

These aren’t politicians and they don’t care about the country. If they cannot be true to their political affiliations and their ideologies then they are as good as nothing.

For them, it was never about improving the state of the country, rather, it was to continue making money. Enough money that their next 10 generations would not have to worry about making money. For this lot, it was never about standing true to their principles, it was about getting their 5 minutes on television, experiencing what power felt like and enjoying that power. They never cared about the citizens, they never cared about their country. All they wanted was to enjoy power and God knows, they did.

However, Mr Tareen, this one’s for you. Don’t make the same mistake that Khan did, these men will leave you in a second.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2023.

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