News headlines implying that the government had decided to go tough on the opposition following the success of the latter’s protest demonstrations in Gujranwala and Karachi are noted with a fair bit of concern because they confirm a political slugfest right ahead in which the common people are sure to emerge as the biggest losers. The flurry of arrests and FIRs that have taken place, not to mention the prime minister’s promise that all corruption cases will be seen through to their logical conclusions, only adds to the already tense atmosphere. It seems the government has ignored the rather obvious fact that such tactics will only add to the opposition’s claims of harassment and intimidation. A better approach would have been to try to diffuse the situation by offering to sit and talk with the opposition on matters that are important for the public. The ruling party should also not forget that it has already let the people down by failing to arrest the rising trends of inflation and unemployment. Even PTI’s own lawmakers were forced to heap criticism on their own government at a recent parliamentary party meeting because of the same issues. Those that speak for the government would also have noted how the opposition has been able to incorporate this weakness of theirs into its larger anti-government narrative. And since there is nothing to suggest that prices, especially of the most essential items of daily use including staple food, are going to come down anytime soon, the government isn’t exactly acting in its own best interests. That is not to say that the government should take all the criticism sitting down, of course, just that if ever there was a moment where it needed its actions to speak louder than words, this is it. And the kind of actions that the government is resorting to, like threatening opposition leaders and workers with arrests, etc, run the risk of proving counter-productive. What is needed right now, especially on the part of the government, is to find a way to diffuse these big rallies that are clearly gaining momentum with time. That is important not just to de-escalate in a politically charged situation, but also to take precautions against a possible second wave of the coronavirus. We are already dangerously close to losing all that we gained by successfully containing the spread of the virus earlier. Everybody claiming to speak for the people and the country should prove their loyalty to both by first uniting against the virus. *