Speeches and statements these days by Bilawal Zardari, Nawaz-Shahbaz Sharif, and Fazlurrehman are oozing with bigotry, twisted facts and self-righteous rhetoric.
Contradictions galore – either taking common people for fools, or themselves delusional and in denial. Or perhaps they dont believe in “peoples’” power and hence feel free to say anything. What people might say, hardly matters, it seems.
They all sang the May 9 chorus when they sensed this was the right moment to corner their arch-rival – the PTI -.
Resolution at Bilawal House in late May 2023, statements by Bilawal, Sherry Rehman and many other PPP leaders led to one conclusion; the PTI is in thick soup and hit it where it hurts more. And for 15 months Bilawal enjoyed the joyrides abroad, probably broke records of a foreign minister’s trips abroad.
He also on numerous occasions praised PM Shehbaz Sharif – out of the way – wishing the “Shehbaz speed” for Sindh also.
Rana Sanaullah – Shehbaz- Bilawal’s interior minister – even demanded a ban on PTI and advocated trials of May 9 “culprits” in military courts to finish off a “terrorist party.”
None of the mainstream politicians wanted to miss this bandwagon, which they thought was the most opportune hammer to nail their joint enemy.
In an election rally at Shikarpur the maverick Maulana Fazlurrehman – on January 27 – went to the extent of saying “ we have dealt the PTI such a terminal blow that it won’t be able to recover from.
Now, Bilawal calls out PML-N for using the terrorism card against PTI. He calls the Sharifs the “CPEC thieves” who used kickback money to raise properties abroad. He is also throwing tantrums at Maulana Fazlurrehman.
Shehbaz Sharif on his part asked Bilawal to refrain from personal attacks. Put an end to private jails first, the younger Sharif challenged Bilawal.
The obvious objective of Bilawal of course is to woo PTI supporters and win their sympathies. The entire blame, as far as their hardships are concerned – goes to the PML-N, according to Bilawal.
“We will hunt the lion with the arrow on Feb 8,’ Bilawal has been telling disinterested crowds in various cities.
This brief snapshot of statements by these top leaders only exposes the contradictions inherent in their posturing against one another; either they take the entire nation for zombies or are themselves oblivious to the ground realities; calling names, being at each other’s throat, then enjoying the fruits of power in PDM government, and eventually once again kicking off acrimony and mud-slinging against one another.
Is a common Pakistani blind to this charade of bigotry and self-serving posturing?
Or is it of no consequence to these merchants of selfish politics – who embrace or shake off one another as and when they deem fit?
History of alliances among JUI, MQM, PPP, PML-N and BAP suggests power almost always rests with them – of course with the blessing of the political engineers who continue to pull strings from behind. And hence things hardly seem to have changed for the common Pakistanis.
That’s why the dislike/contempt for all the conventional political leaders. Bilawal Bhutto epitomizes the trend; although Bilawal is projecting himself as a man of new thinking, reconciliation and anti-vendetta, yet he is still guided and surrounded by the same conventional forces who had all joined the post May-9 chorus to ostracise the PTI and endear themselves with the military establishment.
The sweet talk by Bilawal and Sharifs is not likely to work anymore. Post Feb 8 elections, their expedience will once again belie the claims they are making right now.
