A lot can happen in a day. The topsy-turvy ride of the former prime minister saw him set sail on Saturday in a bid to appear before an Additional District and Sessions Judge to quash warrants in the Toshakhana case. However, the usual five-hour drive paved the ground for yet another round of state high-handedness; jolting his followers with a close brush with the prisoner van. While Mr Khan has been allowed to leave, the warrants cancelled, and the hearing adjourned till March 30, the shambolic chaos surrounding this development would go a long way in subsiding the recent breakthrough in the heated political impasse. On what grounds would Mr Khan now be expected to sit down with the government and engage in good faith? With containers and heavily armed contingents bombarding his residence at Zaman Park and intense shelling obstructing his entrance into the court premises, the entire script reeks of government desperation. Furthermore, PEMRA’s restriction of live coverage of events on the heels of its no-punches-pulled suspension notices to television channels made sure that the limitations to press freedom were visible to any and all. It is very unclear what the ruling parties aim to achieve from the current conundrum because if countering the PTI’s popularity is what’s on their radar, they are (quite interestingly) putting their best foot forward to plaster its message on walls in all corners. Political victimisation always tends to win hearts and souls. No matter where Mr Khan may stand on the legalities, the ongoing frenzied recklessness to shut windows and seal doors is doing nothing but adding to his public appeal. In a country as emotionally charged as ours, the only fool-proof way to hand someone the victory trophy on a silver platter is to choose undemocratic means to throw around your weight. Sadly, in the past, military dictators were the ones who used the expired tricks from the playbook to silence mainstream leaders and make them legends along the way. It is 2023, and the parliamentary democracy reigning supreme in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan stands guard as institutions rush to light kerosene over the civil-war keg. Some food for thought, perhaps. *