When Najam Sethi took to the stage at the pompously held and brilliantly organized PSL finals in Lahore, a section of the crowd erupted into Go Nawaz Go slogans, evoking laughter and amusement from those sitting and watching the match on their TV screens at home. Come to think of it people have been chanting this slogan for more than two years now; Nawaz Sharif hasn’t moved an inch from his place, he’s currently on the last leg of his tenure and threatens to return in the 2018 general elections as well.
There are very few aspects of our Prime Minister’s personality that I admire greatly, one of them is being absolutely unaffected by criticism, fading public approval. The man simply does not care that the majority of the masses have given their personal verdicts in the Panama Papers case; the aamadmi has not sought a commission inquiry, or kept his or her decision in some treasury for safe keeping. In colloquial language, he is out and needs to go home. Since the country can’t be run on sentiments, we await the verdict on Panama leaks much like anticipating the birth of a baby. A baby that is long overdue should come out now and relieve the mother of all agony and the extra weight.
The prelude leading up to the Sunday final of the Pakistan Super League had been rather amusing to observe. Some people believed that the war on terror was being given a farewell with Ali Zafar crooning away during the opening ceremony. Radd-ul-terrorism anyone? Didn’t think so. Others lamented that Imran Khan was acting like the stereotypical aunt at desi weddings, always up for some discord and ever so hard-to-please. Maybe. There were also journalists that tweeted that Panama league was out and Psl was in, because apparently putting up an entertaining show is more laudable than holding someone accountable for illegal money hoarding. Phew!
Hosting the final in Lahore proved to be a respite for people who have been living under psychological fear for far too long but unfortunately it solves nothing on the grass root level. Sending a message to the international community is vital but not more than fixing our foundation, our institutions. The same fear that gripped Lahoris and other Pakistanis shall return in a few days because there will be no 4-tier security at bazaars, malls or dargahs to shield the people. It’s a good thing that the terrorists also enjoyed the PSL final chupchaap se as well but till when will they sit still?
‘Kuchnahin hone wala madam in the Panama case (nothing shall happen), when I was a kid Nawaz Sharif was the PM, now I’ve a kid myself he is still there… so I won’t be surprised if my future grandchild will also see Nawaz Sharif heading Pakistan mam’, this is what a Careem driver lamented to me this week with a strange sense of confidence mixed with gloom.
At the moment though there is extreme polarisation between the people of Pakistan, people are either pro Imran or very anti Imran. There are however no Pro or Anti Nawaz gangs in people and that is a point to ponder. On the streets, traveling and conversing with the common folk you will find fans of Shahbaz Sharif but hardly any of Nawaz. His unpopularity is at an all time high. Shahbaz Sharif’s beautification of Lahore is an undeniable fact, at some point Karachi was hailed as the city of lights but along came the hours of load shedding, tons of litter and a rampant feeling of insecurity to occupy the city by the sea.
Earlier this week I also witnessed a scuffle between a lady driver and a parking attendant near Liberty market, Lahore. The female driver was refusing to pay a mere thirty rupees as parking fee because she believed that she was already contributing more to the country than our Prime Minister by paying her taxes. Why should I pay extra for parking now, tell Pm sahib to pay his taxes first, she pressed and sped away without paying the ticket. Civil disobedience or sheer callousness but almost everyone with a Tv set in Pakistan is waking up to their rights as a citizen. Khan has brought unprecedented political awareness to the masses, they are speaking up without fear.
Imran Khan did mess up majorly this week also when he described the international players, who were guests of Pakistan, as Pateechar, useless, low-class players who would have come to Pakistan anyway. All hell broke loose over a loose statement, with TV analysts breaking their heads over the actual meaning of Phateechar and the context it was used in. Too many Ps spoilt the broth this week, the only Ps I found myself rooting for is peace and prosperity for Pakistanis. And of course it’d be nice to hear the verdict on the Panama case before the next general elections please, let’s not P for prolong it any further judge sahab.
The writer is a freelance columnist with a degree in Cultural Studies and a passion for social observation, especially all things South Asian. She tweets @chainacoffeemug