Daily Times

There is a fine line between fervent loyalty and absolute madness.

Those taking great pride in standing behind their skipper come what may are earning notoriety for taking the dark plunge. While MNA Ataullah Khan may now have stepped back from his unimaginably belligerent offensive, waving a critical threat against the heads of the state cannot be brushed off as a non-event. In the light of such statements, Federal Minister Marriyam Aurangzeb’s reference to the “bloody march” as she once again defended her party’s high-handedness in Islamabad does not sound phenomenally off the mark.

A country like Pakistan that has already lost two prime ministers to an act of violence needs to be vigilant at all times. Previously PTI stalwarts like Shehryar Afridi and Sarwar Khan have gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Just because they tried to further muddy the waters using the religion card does not mean their naked insinuations were any less explosive. Simply looking the other way or shrugging shoulders can no longer help deflect the situation because this convenient ignorance of the former prime minister has already lit up quite a few firestorms.

The turmoil that cascaded at the gates of Sindh House and more recently the chaotic scenes in Islamabad’s Red Zone are perfect examples to illustrate how vile the mob mentality becomes. It is no longer a question of which side chooses the dirtiest profanities to disarm the enemy but who spills the most blood. As was rightly protested by the PPP’s Shazia Atta Marri in the past, political parties that have rendered great sacrifices by the din of such horrendous bouts of savagery cannot be comfortable sitting on a powder keg.

If Mr Khan does not rein in his overpassionate warriors now, he considerably risks alienating the vote bank that has still pinned hope on him reviving decency in Pakistani politics. Wasn’t it just days ago that retired army officers had pledged their allegiance to his policies in broad daylight? Doing something for the greater good might not hold much bearing for him but performance in the next general polls is not something that can be lost to unseemly one-upping. *