The PTI has finally paved its way out of trouble. The bell has been rung; the federal budget passed and the state is back to business. With literally no resistance from the opposition, the kaptaan’s team has won and his voters have a new tale of growth, welfare and reforms to pin hopes on. Ah! The good times are finally here! Or so will a brigade of fiery spokespersons maintain as they engage in a primetime slugfest. The government still has some time before it gets judged on the sine qua non of its much-touted sweeteners. After all, hungry-for-the-slightest-ease masses would be much too delighted indulging in budget sweeteners to worry about the whys are wherefores of the IMF programme. But yesterday’s leaderless shadow bench has hammered out its weak-kneed role in the coming days. How can the Lahori Lions find the strength to wage wars in television studios when they did nothing to oppose the passage of a bill they regarded with contempt. So much so that their members thought better to leave the house than register their objection to the vote. After months of thundering against the “anti-people budget,” Shehbaz Sharif’s conspicuous absence has made a laughing stock of the opposition unity. For he didn’t sit there watching Islamabad’s plan sail through. There was no putting of heads together for a strategic powwow. While PPP’s top brass was present in full galore to register its voice, the PML-N opted for a disgraceful escape. What a mockery of the parliamentary system that is naturally coalesced by the differences in opinion! However, more interesting has been the strong-worded defence of PML-N Information Secretary, Marriyam Aurangzeb. Dangling between the Senior Sharif’s family commitment and the fallacy of non sequitur, she clearly doesn’t know what path to take. The usual spot-on warrior is now clueless because she is talking about too many contrasting things, all at once. She takes great pride in being a part of the “first budget in history” where changes were made to cater to shortcomings pointed by them. In reality, only one amendment by the opposition regarding travel vouchers for parliament members was incorporated. Simultaneously, there was no point in Mr Sharif showing up when he could do nothing to flip the vote. As of now, it remains unclear what agenda the Sharifs wished to pursue by playing truant. Was it their lack of homework that could back their partisan dicing and slicing of the suggested reforms? Defending the blatantly harsh budget-trashing would not have been a walk in the park. If people sitting on the treasury benches were courageous enough to lambast the government policies on inflation and employment, the deafening silence of those on the other side appears very peculiar. It is increasingly obvious that the father-son Jiyala duo was not in on the boycott plan. This inability to lead all opposition parties effectively further feeds into Mr Sharif’s narrow-sighted narrative. Today, he has disappointed many who were waiting for him to reconcile political parties and hold the government’s feet to fire. The revolutionary leader has failed the pivotal challenge! *