Bull in a China shop

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

By Shafiq Awan

Politics is the cruellest profession, which has no ethics or norms and politicians even dig the graves of their opponents just for political point scoring.

Following this pattern, PML-N has added martyred Benazir Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto in its anti-PPP campaign. Ahsan Iqbal has hurled the first stone and urged the PPP leadership to support the trial of the esteemed ladies. This hurt the feelings of the PPP leadership and workers from top to bottom as this onslaught was unexpected; one of these ladies is no more in this world and the other is seriously ill since the murder of her son Mir Murtaza Bhutto.

Unfortunately Mian Nawaz Sharif himself masterminded this campaign and asked his slanderers to turn their guns on Benazir Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto. Benazir must be turning in her grave as her ‘brother’ Nawaz Sharif is leaving no stone unturned to malign his martyred ‘sister’ just to secure his declining vote bank in central Punjab. Mian Nawaz Sharif perhaps knows that people are now aware of his double-faced personality; people have realised this during the Gujrat by-polls.

Some Leaguers were of the view that this campaign was decided in the kitchen cabinet and the logic behind this campaign was to counter PPP’s upcoming demands to open the cases against the Sharif family. Furthermore, it will minimise the credit the PPP gets for the 18th amendment. They claimed they tried to convince Sharif that Sindh is already charged up due to the one-sided accountability of Asif Ali Zardari and the PML-N new venture would further damage the party, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan. But their argument fell on deaf ears when the flatterers said PML-N should strength its castle in Punjab instead of wasting time in Sindh.

They said Nawaz Sharif is again surrounded by sycophants and only apple-polishers have access to the top leadership. Unfortunately the Sharifs could not tolerate any voice that differed from their own opinion, due to which flatterer elements are getting closer to them. Javed Hashmi is the prime example as the most devoted worker sidelined just because he raised his voice and opinion contrary to the party high command.

But living in a glass house, the Sharifs should not point fingers at others.

Benazir is martyred and Begum Nusrat Bhutto is not well. Instead of asking the PPP to clear their names, Ahsan Iqbal should worry about the cases of his bosses. Dozens of cases are pending against the Sharifs and if they will not follow up on Ahsan Iqbal to clear their names, their reputation would be damaged.

The serious leadership of PML-N disagrees with Ahsan’s remarks and is of the view that he has done it to please the Sharifs, as many others join the race of flattering them. They did not agree that Sharif could design this campaign. They said excessive flattering and modern day obsequiousness has weakened healthy discussion in the party. Due to this attitude, the bosses’ opinion is considered final. If someone tried to give a different opinion, the sycophants snubbed him.

One who has a different point of view from the Sharifs in party meetings is considered as a foe at the end. Javed Hashmi is an example of this victimisation, though he did not give up and continues raising his point of view. Reading the Sharifs’ mood, everyone is abasing themselves to please them and sensible people who do not tolerate obsequious behavior are marked negatively. They said such elements are creating misunderstandings between the two political forces and also inviting trouble for their own leadership. If the opponents really started a counter-campaign against
their leadership, where they will stand?