Daily Times

Lo and Behold! The election week is here. Sit back and witness the assiduous courting of masses by all parties and the fury unleashed on the same forum. But as leading political parties are trying hard to cut the legs out from under each other, one particular party’s desperation has plunged it into a deep, deep abyss. Swirling news reports of international lobbying sought by PTI to add uncertainty to the credibility of upcoming elections in the eyes of the global powers make it certain that sometimes and for some people, short-term benefits far overpower the tendency to look at the greater picture. Overseas members from the organisation have been known to be making inways into power headquarters across the developed world to add to the pressure on the basis of diplomatic channels and human rights institutions. Another purpose of this last-minute wheeling and dealing could be seen to bring some relief to the founder five minutes before the clock is set to strike midnight. But whether they succeed in this backchanneling or not, it is extremely unfortunate to witness actors and organisations first make heart-touching claims about the masses and the continuation of democracy and then go on to make a mockery of the same people and their demand for elected representation. Do elections only matter if they are at the winning end? Would any exercise of suffrage lose its value if other political parties were able to win the hearts of billions of Pakistanis?

According to the 1973 constitution, whoever is sworn in as prime minister or minister is responsible for ensuring that they do not prioritize personal matters over state matters.

More worrying for their outlook, Tuesday’s damning sentencing of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the violation of Official Secrets Act would go a long way in establishing their status. The evidence is incredibly hard to ignore by anyone. Mr Khan flashing a document before a charged mob, forcing them to take up the law in their hands and prioritizing his personal agenda before national interest is no small event. It might have been one thing to accuse a rival politician of some crime or not wishing the best for him but to lay out highly sensitive secrets and wash out one’s lines in the public as a sitting prime minister was bound to have come back to hurt him. The jury is still out on the technicalities of the case. Yes, there is abounding criticism on the need of the court to adhere to his right to counsel and the right to a trial. But even if some judicial relief is provided to him by higher judiciary, Mr Khan’s name would forever be etched in the annals of history as a premier who did not bat an eyelid before smearing mud over the credibility of his powerful office and the country he was chosen to lead. An open-and-shut case indeed, which was amplified beyond repair in the wake of Azam Khan’s statement and a heated viral soundbite from the PMO in which Mr Khan could be heard asking for a scandalisation and that “people would buy it.”

According to the 1973 constitution, whoever is sworn in as prime minister or minister is responsible for ensuring that they do not prioritize personal matters over state matters. No qualms about that. No second-guessing that.

The writer is OpEd Editor (Daily Times) and can be reached at durenayab786@gmail.com. She tweets @DureAkram