But what’s going to be the end of this fiery beginning?
The elections still a year away, and the poison being spit out daily by politicians is already exhaling a miasma that could have noxious impact on the electoral process. Not that the display of intolerance or recourse to suggestive language against political opponents were unknown in Pakistan. Remember Sheikh Rashid’s remarks about Benazir Bhutto, or Shahbaz Sharif’s outburst against Zardari? The difference is that what used to be rare in the past has become a routine in 2017. Exchange of salty language has become widespread and a daily affair. The other difference is that while in the past those who lost control over their language were reined in by their own peers and supporters. As things stand those who take recourse to foul language are encouraged by their respective cheer leaders.
Bad manners are infectious. The PTI chief’s remark about Mian Sharif led someone in PMLN threaten to pull out Imran Khan’s tongue if the incitement was repeated. Imran Khan’s ‘Mulazam-e-Aala’ pun could not have been lost on Shahbaz Sharif’s fans who have called their tormentor a ‘thief’, ‘absconder’ and ‘psycho’ and have paid him back in the same coin by passing remarks about his father. Soon PTI’s social media trolls would up the ante hotly pursued by their PMLN counterparts who would try to more than square the accounts. The pervading miasma would further thicken.
This raises the question whether politicians in this country would ever learn. In January 1999, Nawaz Sharif’s government demanded a media house to “sack and replace 16 journalists”, “support us in policy matters”, “refrain from criticising the first family,” and so on. There was a need on the part of Imran Khan to have drawn the right conclusion from the failure of his predecessor. It seems he too is slow on the uptake. Politicians have to realise the consequences of turning political differences into no-holds-barred fights. They have to recognise that while Panama case is important there are other issues also that the country faces.
