Serious response

The very serious allegations made by PTI Chairman Imran Khan were not going to go unnoticed: and sure enough a response has come from both the military and civilian leaderships – an ISPR statement in the first case and detailed press conference by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the second. But what shook Saturday's news cycle was a press conference by the PTI's Azam Swati, a harrowing watch for anyone not even linked to the PTI. A tearful Swati has alleged that a private video of Swati and his wife was sent to his wife by an unknown number. Needless to say, the PTI has condemned this and – encouragingly – so have PDM/PPP members. Responding to the press conference, the FIA has claimed its forensic analysis has found the video to be a 'deep fake'. Regardless of all the talk around the whodunnit, Swati's presser must be taken seriously. This is not the first time we are here: someone alleging their privacy to have been invaded. In fact, the past few years have seen more of these instances than ever before. It is time these matters are resolved once and for all. If indeed the video is fake, it must be investigated who sent it and why.

The government too has decided to opt for open and thorough judicial investigation into Imran Khan's rather serious allegations of the attempt on his life. Imran had named three persons as the masterminds behind the attack on him: including the prime minister and the interior minister. Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said he is requesting Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to form a full court commission to investigate the assassination attempt on PTI Chairman Imran Khan. This comes a day after the ISPR issued an unequivocal rejection of the “baseless and irresponsible" allegations by the PTI head against the institution and one particular officer, calling the former PM's remarks "absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for”.

It is quite obvious that the country's civilian and military leadership is not amused by the recent allegations levelled by the PTI. It is perhaps in the best interests of all that a full court commission is indeed formed so that this whole matter is put to rest. An attack on a former prime minister and allegations that a sitting prime minister is involved in the attack can only lead to further chaos in an already polarized society. That things have come to this pass where politicians are accusing each other of attempted murder should be a cause for concern for all political stakeholders. A full court commission can carry out one of the highest level investigations possible as they are fully empowered to call anyone for questioning. The PTI too must agree to such an investigation. Asking for resignations without a non-partisan, transparent investigation is not the way forward and will only lead to further impasse. An investigation that looks not just at the PTI's allegations but also at the arrested 'lone wolf' theory is extremely necessary since the confessional statements of the alleged perpetrator are worrying especially in a country that has shifted alarmingly towards regressive thought over the past decades. The PTI also needs to look closer to home as far as its ire goes, what with its allied Punjab government seemingly reluctant to file an FIR regarding the Wazirabad attack. Right now, tempers are high and the protests on streets can lead to unforeseen consequences for our political system as well. All parties must urge calm within their cadres. Pakistan can neither afford more chaos nor more cynical power plays – not when there are people literally without shelter or food or livelihood looking on haplessly as their misery gets appropriated by a one per cent elite squabbling over who gets to rule the country.