AN old English rhyme teaches children, at a very early age, to shrug aside insults and not make too much of mere words. One wishes that those who walk the corridors of power in our country were taught similarly to develop a thicker skin. The manner in which Senator Azam Khan Swati is being treated for publicly expressing his anger at the former army chief and another senior security officer is a reminder of the petty vindictiveness with which our establishment sometimes operates against those who dare to cross it. His were unwise words, no doubt, but they clearly stemmed from the pain and anguish the aged and ailing senator seemed to be feeling over the shameful ordeal his family was recently put through. It must be asked what wisdom there is in putting someone who recently broke down publicly through even more stress. Is there any need for him to be parcelled off from one province to another for a tour de force of the country’s penitentiary system?

It is a shame that this is happening during the government of the PDM parties, which once went to great lengths to present themselves as the exact antithesis of the PTI. Even though Islamabad has attempted to distance itself from the series of cases being registered against Mr Swati across the country, it still has the power to put an end to this farce. A grave injustice also continues to be done to another lawmaker, Ali Wazir, in a similar fashion. Politicians must stand with each other, especially when the limits of decency are being crossed. It is time for the government to put its foot down. If these lawmakers are to be punished, they should be returned to Islamabad, and the various cases against them consolidated and taken to court. The government must realise that it is undermined when elected lawmakers — whatever their transgression may be — are treated with such contempt by what is a subordinate organ of the state.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2022