With elections drawing near, political temperatures are bound to rise as nerves get frayed.

However, while debates and exchanges with opponents can get heated, politicians must always remain within the bounds of decency and respect.

This was obviously not the case on Tuesday evening when, during the recording of a talk show on a TV channel, physical violence was witnessed between two political heavyweights.

In the midst of an intense debate between Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz, who belongs to the PML-N, and veteran PTI leader Naeemul Haque, harsh words were exchanged, which culminated in Mr Haque slapping Mr Aziz.

This is, of course, not the first time such behaviour has been witnessed on talk shows.

In one episode, an explosive showdown took place between a political cleric and a female political analyst and rights activist.

More often than not, these programmes degenerate into shouting matches and end up resembling fish markets rather than forums for informed debate.

This might make for ‘good’ TV and bump up the ratings, but it reflects poorly on our political class.

The leaderships of all our major political parties must set the standard for debate and discussion.

This is, admittedly, a tall order as in the heat of the moment, especially on the election trail, even national level leaders can target their opponents with unparliamentary language.

This needs to change and party leaders must lead the way by ensuring that debate does not degenerate into insults and personal attacks.

Particularly on television, millions of eyes are tuned in to enjoy the verbal jousting of politicians, especially on the more popular shows.

That is why language must remain family-friendly while there can be absolutely no excuse for physical violence.

On an even more serious note, if people see that their leaders are attacking each other verbally and physically, supporters of opposing parties can also take the ‘battle’ to the local level.

This is certainly not needed if we are to have a violence-free election.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018