Daily Times

Two is a coincidence. Three is a trend. That’s why news of several prominent members like Shireen Mazari and Fayyaz Chohan has prompted many others to jump off the sinking ship. Wickets appear to fall in all directions. While a seemingly confident Khan stands at the crease and says he is ready to play whatsoever is thrown at him, it would be absolute folly to bury one’s head in the sand.

The party’s senior vice president and firebrand spokesperson, Fawad Chaudhry’s decision to part ways with his captain would continue to rock Zaman Park in days to come. A similar cloud of suspicion surrounds Asad Umar’s press conference in which he gave up leadership positions to “talk openly about what needs to be done” in the aftermath of the deadly scenes of riot and violence that rocked the country on May 9.

All those who have stepped in the open with denunciations of the chaos should be appreciated as the prevailing reason but the relevance for deflections (that too, in droves) has raised rather than answered questions. Personal inclinations aside, why is it that a large group of seasoned politicians stood up one fine day and decided to dash for the front door?

Far more perplexing have been the calls for celebrations by the government camp. If there’s anyone on God’s green earth who can relate to the clamour in Mr Khan’s dressing room, it’s PML(N). Wasn’t it just two decades ago when an entire political party was drafted out of its prominent spokespersons? And by managing to close their eyes to the irreparable losses to our fragile (yet extremely cherished) democracy, won’t they be akin to sitting ducks when it is their turn to dance to the tune? All this does not make light of the controversial and extremely unparliamentary discourse adopted by the then-ruling PTI when its opponents were being hounded. But instead of grinning like school children, isn’t it high time our politicians rise to the occasion as true leaders of the nation? Losses to democracy should be mourned, not celebrated. *