HAD tongues been horses, perhaps people could have wished for the adventure riders to depart from the scene at a gallop. But the fact is that the PML-N and the PTI, along with their respective allies, are in the midst of a vicious power game, with venomous words emanating from their mouths. Unfortunately, no matter how nauseating the fare, ordinary folk have no choice but to wait until the shrill cries and obscene taunts stop. Indeed, the verbal barbs have begun much before the actual showdown — Nov 2, when Imran Khan will attempt a lockdown of the capital is still some days away. But by some estimates, the politicians have already crossed all limits set by the standards of the times. All caution has been thrown to the wind while the rivals have been flung before imaginary hungry wolves for summary disposal.
It is quite an even match, though the advice was for the government to not be provoked and maintain some semblance of decency. The days of ‘suo motu’ are long gone, and today if the PTI chief utters the second half of the term he is referring to the person of his chief political opponent. Likewise, this is not the moment for the defence minister to lecture the parliament about sharm and haya — two words so intrinsically woven in our culture that we proudly claim they have no equivalent in the English language. Instead, a clearly provoked minister jumped at the opportunity of linking blood-soaked Quetta with a hostile enemy and Imran Khan’s protest movement, making it appear as a scheme against his government. And these are some of the instances in the quotable category — there are far too many expressions flying around that are unprintable, even if they are being telecast. While one can hardly expect the language of diplomacy from bitter foes, the two sides’ failure to retain even a modicum of civility shows that they have not understood the values of maturity and sagacity that democracy teaches.
Published in Dawn October 27th, 2016