Daily Times

The echoes of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s masterstroke as he announced the decision to resign from provincial assemblies in what can only be called the official opening of election season can still be heard in the government camp. As legal experts continue to add their two cents to the discussion on whether this last card would actually help advance Mr Khan’s agenda, they have unitedly asserted how Punjab is ready to go down the same path and the battle for power there would once again be fought in the courtroom. All the uproar by the ruling coalition as the parties band together to mock the swift retreat at the doorstep of the much-talked-about final destination, however, begins to lose its impact in the light of a rather confusing set of statements from their spokespersons. On one end, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah wishes to play on the offensive; instigating CM Pervaiz Elahi with the ease with which PML(N) could “block” him in Punjab. To make the matters worse, rumour mills have already begun churning murmurs of a possible delay in the general election even after the completion of the ongoing term next summer.

That the PML(N) as the face of the government is in no mood to let the hot seat go can be read from afar. From no-trust resolution to the governor’s rule to the redressal of a review petition filed before the apex court by former chief minister Hamza Shahbaz, a thrilling vibe prevailed in Model Town as party leaders convened to grease the wheels and set the resistance express moving. But as always, the power games of the elite have refused to acknowledge the real victims of the never-ending certainty in the country’s heartland for the past year. Punjab has literally been surviving on its own as the people supposed to take charge and run the legislature have been far too busy showing the political rivals up to care for the dismal realities. What targets have actually been achieved by all those who cried crocodile tears at the miseries befallen the common man? The skyrocketing inflation, unprecedented hikes in electricity tariffs and the uncertain fuel situation are a few of the glaring question marks on the report card. If wishes were horses, every leader promising never-before-seen relief to his voters could have opened the taps to milk and honey as rainbows shone upon the land. But alas! in this real world, the proof lies in the pudding and nothing can scream success other than what has been achieved on the ground.