Not long ago, a demagogue leader notorious for singlehandedly ruling Karachi from his cushy self-declared sanctuary in London had come crashing down when he had let his ethnocentric tongue run away naked. Now, contrary to what the opposition parties may proclaim, former prime minister Imran Khan does not live in an ivory tower and therefore, has treaded on the tight rope of unleashing the inner rabble-rouser with quite a finesse. Instead of blowing the war trumpet Viking-style, he pushed his argument using a set of probabilities, which were then doused in the much-anticipated anti-India hues and adorned with some victim dabbling. That Pakistan stands alone in its fight against the free world makes for a perfect comeback and has been conveniently used by Mr Khan to sail through the muddy waters after he fell from power. Quite expectedly, the not-so-nuanced threat to draw lines all across the country did not sit well with the government as anarchy and bloodied civil conflict remain the heated keywords. Sitting in Ankara, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has waved his finger: not on my watch. His spokespersons and allies have, in the meantime, jumped in front of cameras to save the day. From Shazia Marri’s scathing reservations on his mental condition to Maryam Nawaz unabatedly calling the tirade the “last nail in the coffin,” Mr Khan better have a new ace up his sleeve to deflect the upcoming storm. For now, he appears to have forgotten that with great public appeal comes great responsibility. The responsibility to be a leading light to millions that have already taken the shape of a ruthless cult. Politics in Pakistan was never cordial, to begin with, but a drawing-room discussion did not carry such serious threats before. As if the always-in-vogue treason card had not drawn enough blood, one also needs to get his religious views rubberstamped nowadays. How many wells would be poisoned by this partisan branch of wheeler-dealing is still up in the air but the writing on the wall could not be more clear for the national heartthrob: better let out one prayer for peace than indulging in a thousand hollow words. No matter how strong a tempest may become, ripples in a teacup cannot be of any use to anyone. Instead of opening cans that have already failed to create a mass appeal, why not work on your own agenda? Economics is a far too effective mantra than any petty sloganeering. If the people of Pakistan did not stomach someone waving the Sindhistan flag, ascertaining their reaction to not one, not two but three frayed wings is definitely a no-brainer. *