The centre-Sindh spat refuses to ebb away. Prime Minister Imran, through his ministers, has been taunting Asif Ali Zardari’s government for destroying the country’s economy and snatching jobs from the poor. The premier had said that if PPP imposed a complete lockdown, millions of people will lose their jobs and the responsibility for the economic crisis will fall on the Zardari family and their political representatives.
Bilawal Bhutto has strongly condemned Centre’s remarks on provincial government’s decision and at the same time he is trying to bring an old Taliban ally in Azad Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly. The centre-Sindh spat is not new. The people of Pakistan are very simple. Many have taken this political confrontation seriously and are worried that this spat will escalate and Centre relations with the provinces will deteriorate further.
All these people are requested not to burn their blood. This fight is as real as democracy in Pakistan. Both parties are working on a plan of mutual interest. Remember the recent events and you will know how the two supported each other at every important political juncture.
How the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) platform turned into a ‘joke’. How the threats of sit-ins and protests collapsed like a wall of sand. What happened in the Senate election? And who is benefiting from the PPP’s tussle with the PML-N these days? Who needs allies if we have opposition like this?
But this is not a one-sided issue. The center has also improved the situation. Friendship has paid off. Faryal Sahiba was once taken into custody despite of her ‘illness’ and now she is again fulfilling the responsibility of the province with her brother. Coming second in AJK’s polls was no accident. It was the result of a policy of caring for one another.
Some eccentric readers might ask why they are exchanging views on the coronavirus situation and lockdown. What is the need to waste this useless energy? With the arrival of the circus in the neighborhood, there is an atmosphere of excitement and happiness everywhere.
We have now seen the benefits of political theater with indisputable evidence. The first year was spent hoping for jobs and home. The second year was spent in so-called accountability, and the third year was spent containing coronavirus, economic downturn, and alleged prosperity. The fourth-year will pass with events like battle with Sindh and COVID-19’s fourth wave.
Meanwhile, General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s 6-year tenure will be completed and the new army chief will find his destination. What happened to the country during this period? How many torments did the people witnessed? All will be forgotten. Then a new circus will be organized and such months and years will pass. The compulsion of political theater is that it has to put on some spectacle every day.
At the moment the Center vs Sindh drama is running. It’s a free show, watch it, but don’t worry. The time for panic is over. Now think of repenting or going to the grave to find peace. Until then, just remember that this is a circus and nothing more.
