AN immutable law of politics is once again on display in the country: when one side is attacked, the other must respond. PPP supremo Asif Zardari’s broadside against the PML-N and the government’s performance in Punjab elicited a response from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — himself on a trip to Sindh — a reaction spurred on perhaps by the installation of a politically more active governor in the province. Now, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has written to the prime minister to object to the alleged favouritism the federal government is showing to Punjab by disproportionately locating new natural gas distribution projects in Mr Sharif’s home province, a move that Mr Shah has alleged violates the Constitution. While there exists a framework for disputes over natural resources between the provinces to be resolved, the heated political rhetoric on both sides suggests a troubling pattern.

Perhaps the PPP anticipates that an early election may be held and perhaps the PML-N is keen to demonstrate in the run-up to the general election scheduled for next year that the ruling party is not focused only on Punjab. But as a third election in the decade-old transition to democracy approaches, it does not appear that either of the country’s historical governing parties has been able to nudge the level of political discourse towards greater sophistication. While all parties have to court votes and a degree of populism is inherent to the electoral process, the danger in Pakistan is that an unchanging style of politics may trigger disillusionment among the electorate and potentially undermine the democratic project itself. The cynical politics on display in recent days borders on the nonsensical. The PPP led by Asif Zardari is in search of political crumbs outside Sindh because of the disastrous reputation the party has built for itself since 2008. No amount of aggressive commentary and platitudinous speech-making by Mr Zardari will change that reality.

For Mr Sharif and the PML-N, the lack of interest in politics outside Punjab has been apparent over two election cycles, and it will take more than late, campaign-style dashes to Sindh to shed what has become a firm and indisputable political reality. In nearly four years of rule at the centre, Mr Sharif has yet to shake the perception that many of the CPEC projects and the vast infrastructure spending in the country have disproportionately benefitted Punjab and are set to further do so. True, as Pakistan’s richest and most populous province, a growing Punjab can have positive spillover effects for the other provinces and the federation. The PML-N government at the centre has vigorously denied the allegations and there may be some merit in its responses to some of the wilder accusations against it. But a prime minister seeking to govern from a narrow provincial political base does not serve the greater interests of the federation.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2017