Sandwiched between the establishment and hotheaded party workers and supporters, majority of the PTI leaders is in real pain. Some of them are underground, many are in jail and the rest are desperately trying to balance the establishment’s directions on one side and workers’ outrage and expectations on the other. But they are compromised, traitors and ‘the president’s men, believe some social media hawks, mostly sitting abroad.
They argue: Why they are roaming free? Why they failed to release Khan? People elected them in the name of Imran Khan-the PTI founder chairman and perhaps unarguably the most popular jailed leader of Pakistan, even without campaign and the party symbol, [thanks to Qazi sahib].
PTI hotheads are unwilling to put faith in their leadership, telling layman: don’t believe this man, that man. Hence, their campaign is working well. August 5 is a recent example.
The situation put the PTI “traitors” in hot water. After one and a half years of their stint in the National and Provincial Assemblies, they now realise how hard it is to “serve the democracy cause in Pakistan.” They might even feel jealous of those PTI colleagues who couldn’t make it to the assemblies.
“Form 47 was a real blessing for our colleagues,” a PTI MNA told me. He believes the defeated slot is now at least having the time of their lives.
“Had we been in the assemblies, we’d have shown the people how to fight for the restoration of democracy,” another Form 45‘s MNA boasted in a private sitting.
Traitors of PTI:
“Why is no one putting PTI parliamentarians holding license-to-roam inside Adiala or Kot Lakhpat,” ask furious youth of the PTI. They believe: something’s fishy.
Perhaps Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Zain Qureshi or Fawad Chaudhry should stage a protest demanding a review of the May 9 verdicts from Faisalabad and Lahore’s anti-terrorism courts. They should demand prison. And Chaudhry Parvez Elahi must head to jail immediately.
For Sher Afzal Marwat, every PTI member, including Aleema Khan, is working for the establishment, except him. And hence, they are all traitors. He, however, spares Gandapur. But for many PTI hawks on social media, both Pathans are men of the establishment.
Again something’s fishy: “Why Zartaj Gul has been sentenced to 10 years in May 9 verdict by Faisalabad court while Dr Yasmin Rashid, Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed got only five years?”
(Iftikhar Alam, a Lahore-based journalist, wrote this satirical piece. He tweets at @imiftikharalam)
