Political leaders in this country often seem to lack confidence in their own destiny and powers of decision-making.

Consider, for example, the fact that from the highest echelons of society downwards, there is a large section of the citizenry that, because of various interpretations of the term ‘spiritual guidance’, prefers to put its faith in individuals who have dubbed themselves ‘healers’, ‘men of miracles’, astrologers and suchlike.

It was not so long ago that former president Asif Ali Zardari arrived at an accountability court in Islamabad accompanied by his spiritual mentor, Pir Mohammed Ijaz. Former PPP prime ministers Raja Parvez Ashraf and the late Benazir Bhutto have also been amongst our luminaries known for their willingness to abide by the dictates of favoured spiritual guides. Even the recently disqualified Nawaz Sharif, despite his reputation as a hard-nosed businessman, is believed to have taken this path.

Among other leaders who are members of this community is PTI chief Imran Khan. On Tuesday, he did not consider a National Assembly session important enough to attend. Instead, it emerged that he had travelled all the way to Pakpattan to meet his spiritual patron, Bushra Bibi, also known as Ms Pinki.

The wife of Khawar Farid Maneka — Mr Khan is said to have a spiritual bond with the Maneka clan — is known in the area as a pir, or faith healer, and is said to have ‘predicted’ PTI stalwart Jehangir Tareen’s win ahead of a by-poll in 2015.

While restraints cannot really be placed on where individuals choose to put their faith, it can certainly be argued that in a country beset by illiteracy and superstition, where the populace is vulnerable to falling prey to false claims, those in the public limelight need to lead by example. This includes keeping themselves grounded in the real world.

If even the educated elites cannot consistently do this, is it any wonder that gullibility is such a problem among the poor and uneducated segments of society?

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2017