What is politics but the art of the impossible? As archrivals eat their words to contemplate power-sharing formulas and others who had stepped to the front with pledges to eliminate the entire setup of a political party announce plans to go offstage themselves, general elections 2024 have proved to be the biggest and most sensational political thriller. There’s no telling what would now become of the much-talked-about IPP whose balloon is fast running out of hot air. Is the chief ministership of the heartland still on the table? While history is replete with examples of such kneejerk yet doomed-from-the-beginning experiments, that the trajectory would be so short-lived might not have crossed the minds of many. After all, both IPP and PTI-Parliamentarians had sworn to seize up political space evaded by an absent Imran Khan. However, in their frenzy to make an impression, these pygmy forces forgot to focus on a crucial cornerstone: a party’s reason to exist. IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan has rightly secured a landslide victory but it bears no relevance on the platform he had used to stand in the people’s court. Their dismal performance in South Punjab and Pervaiz Khattak’s shocking dismissal on a duck carry ample evidence to persuade sceptics to forego the power of the masses. These pages, in no matter whatsoever, wish to dissuade people from joining the field of politics. It is high time that fresh faces, young blood and new ideals decided to step forward and play their due share in governance. However, no stability can result from a series of quick snap setups if all they wish to do is carve out some air time, grab a few colourful headlines and clean up others’ spoils. The need to deliberate on the whiteboard and come up with unique, fool-proof solutions to the nauseating myriad of solutions cannot be emphasised enough. The repeated successes of the Aam Aadmi Party in India are a testament to how easy it is for any player to turn his fortunes but only if he holds the bat fully prepared for a boundary. *