THE Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its allies are now in government in the most troubled province of KP. The province has been in the severe grip of violence for the last 10 years and in all those years both the far right and progressive left nationalist forces have had their governments with almost no success in curbing violence.

The present setup in KP is a mix of centre-right symbolically religious plus far-right and progressive nationalists.

The ideological picture of the KP government is very interesting and gives a student of political science a very good opportunity to learn.

The largest ideological group is of symbolically religious right, who never had an opportunity to hold the reigns of any tier of government in Pakistan.

The highly ambitious religious right is facing immediate challenges in the shape of terrorism and revival of economy in KP. Not a day has gone by without killings since the new government in KP has taken over.

The religious right seems baffled over the bloody beginning of its rule which is taking a toll on the nerves of its lawmakers.

KP is standing at a crossroads with all its potentials and natural blessings awaiting correct political decisions. Some young PTI lawmakers from KP often draw a very interesting analogy between suicidal bombings and drone attacks.

The PTI has got tough times ahead as they have already lost their MPAs to terrorist attacks. The PTI’s narrative of blaming the West for all the social ills of Pakistan might have sold well in elections but would be seriously tested under its own administration in KP.

The PTI has become a sort of a slave to its own pre-election narrative, as a reactionary it would be hard for the party to review its narrative.

They definitely would stick to their colour for a while to save face but like all intelligent people in politics they would certainly make political manoeuvres over their reactionary stance on drones and suicidal bombings. The captain is facing immense challenges. Any knee-jerk reaction to the provocation of opponent team may result in loss of advantage to rivals.

MALIK ATIF MAHMOOD MAJOKAMelbourne, Australia