Nawaz didn’t go. Hashtag. Nor was he eating humble pie. Rather he was celebrating by scoffing a few sweetmeats here and there. This was something that particularly irked the PPP co-Chairman and former president, Asif Ali Zardari. Understandably so, perhaps, given that he had no choice but to swallow bunch after bunch of sour grapes when his own prime minister was sent packing by the same apex court. The SC ruling in the Panama Leaks case has left opposition supporters deflated. The parties themselves are right to call for the PM to step down while the JIT probes further the corruption charges. Yet the verdict and the court’s directive for additional investigation is cause for celebration. This is something that the PTI leader, Imran Khan, understands. Hence he was happy to be snapped gulping down the odd sweetmeat himself. Naturally, there are concerns that the JIT will neither have the teeth nor the will to get the job done. Yet with elections looming, the JIT must realise that unless it conducts the inquiry as efficiently as possible it will face the threat of more Khan-led agitation protests, playing out against the thumping soundtrack of DJ Butt. And that is something that none of us wants. But beyond and above all this, the opposition has no need at this stage to feel despondent. It should take heart from the composition of the JIT, which includes representatives of the Military Intelligence. Meaning that the military has now been instructed — by the country’s highest court, no less — to investigate the PM for corruption. While this may placate some, the opposition should remember that the military as an institution keeps its interests above the whims of political leaders. Nawaz and the military have enjoyed strained relations at best. Aside from the politics, the Panama verdict has set a dangerous precedent of involving the intelligence agencies into investigating the country’s highest elected official. The opposition is in the strongest position ever at any time over the last four years. It must gear itself for the next election. The PPP has suddenly found itself relevant. Imran Khan is speaking the language of the pragmatist. If they take the country into another round of agitation, they will lose along with the ruling party. In that case much of the citizenry might end up agitating against the opposition. *