And the media trial
Those hoping that resumption of Panamagate proceedings at the Supreme Court will help tone down the incessant media circus are likely to be disappointed – unless, of course, the honourable court itself puts its foot down and demands some discipline. It is, after all, a case of monumental national importance. And there’s only so much longer it can linger now that we are in the post-JIT environment. Nawaz Sharif is clearly not walking away. And, short of the SC showing him the door right at the beginning, his lawyers will get right back to proving the money trail – which, ironically, they’ve failed in twice already – and so on and so forth. But that’s the end of it. There are only clear questions and answers left for the court to ponder. The noise that dominates prime time media shows has little to do with the real case.
It’s natural for the opposition to take a maximalist position, especially when the prime minister is vulnerable. But, interestingly, as much as the JIT has hit PML-N hard, it is also dividing the opposition. PTI naturally wants snap elections. This is probably the strongest it’s been in a while. The sooner it can go to the polls, the better. PPP, on the other hand, is naturally wary of such a move. Its position has hardly improved since the ’13 drubbing left it in a mess. Should push come to shove immediately, which is not very likely, PPP at least will be left regretting not mobilising much, much earlier. The maximalist positions, therefore, are just another pressure tactic at the end of the day. Sure they want the PM to go, but there’s little they can do save keep asking him to.
Best, then, to let the court have its day. The daily media trial will only add fuel to conspiracy theories and give the formal election campaign an ugly start. Accusations of money laundering, willful fraud, perjury, etc, are about as serious as they get when they centre around the prime minister and his family. Everybody will have all the time in the world to say all they want once the verdict is out. Till then, they should not need reminding to respect the court’s space.