Daily Times

Political parties in Pakistan either need to establish clear disciplinary protocols for their supporters or proclaim once and for all that the rules of decency do not apply.

In yet another example of the vileness that plagues the political theatre, former chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa was chased by angry PTI supporters, with a few of them banging his car.

To subject anyone, let alone a veteran jurist, who until last week, sat at the very pinnacle of the judicial hierarchy, to such a frightening situation in a country whose patience with gross spectacles of activism is already wearing thin reeks of short-sighted priorities.

The last few years have seen innumerable such instances outside former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence in London where PTi protestors packed the streets, hurling abuses to the point that the Metropolitan Police were forced to impose a rare ban on gatherings.

More troublingly, an intense ruckus had desecrated Masjid-e-Nabwi in 2022 as emphatic pilgrims accosted members of the interim government, chanting abusive slogans with visible attempts of physical assaults. Notices have already been sent to Pakistani embassies in the UAE and Turkey, warning expats against breaking local laws in their protest demonstrations. Although Mr Khan takes great pride in the determination of overseas Pakistanis, he fails to understand that every such instance only leaves his political legacy with an egg on his face.

The attack on Justice Isa in London is a stark reminder of the deep-rooted issues and highlights the need for political maturity. We may have awakened the youth’s conscience but as is the case with every Arab Spring moment, there remains a need to set firm boundaries on what does and what does not constitute a constitutionally guaranteed right to protest.

At the end of the day, nothing trumps Pakistan’s reputation in the eyes of foreign nations because this is not the 1950s and disgruntled demonstrators do not carry the appeal of the British Angry Young Men Movement. *