Never underestimate a Chaudhry

This thought ‘Never underestimate a Chaudhry (or a former Chief Minister)’ occurred to my mind after watching public address of former Punjab CM and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi at Multan (this DPM title is also a unique feather in Parvez Elahi’s cap).

I’ve been covering many Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers in my capacity of a media person for which reason I once labeled myself ‘Prime Ministerial’ and ‘Chief Ministerial’ historian (in one of the puns published in my columns). In this Chief Ministerial ‘historian’ business, I have been listening to the speeches of different personalities on the top including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani and Punjab Chief Ministers Ghulam Haider Wyne, Mian Manzur Wattoo and Ch. Parvez Elahi. And the fiery and impassioned speeches of Mian Shahbaz Sharif have become a salient feature of contemporary reporting but the way Ch. Parvez Elahi came up with his latest address at Multan the other day, it was really surprising. In fact, he had seldom delivered lengthy speeches that too extempore.

The public speech at Multan undoubtedly appeared to be well-rehearsed and well-prepared but it gave the impression of an extempore, impassioned speech as if the Chaudhry were speaking out his heart and mind like a grief-and-poverty stricken common man in the street. And this central idea i.e making the sufferings of the poor, central to his speech, has clicked well. Although the incumbent government claims in the light of its sustained development works and CPEC projects that it is striving without respite for the betterment of the masses, the speech that Ch Parvez Elahi delivered made many believe that the sad tale of masses’ sufferings has not come to an end. It is about time that the government came out with ‘solid clarifications’ about some ‘solid allegations’ levelled by the former DPM like the outsourcing of hospitals and non-provision of many facilities in schools (as declared with an air of apparent authenticity by Ch. Parvez Elahi).

If the government of the day is unable to thwart these accusations, it will be lending credence to the point of view of the opposition in general and Ch. Parvez Elahi in particular that whatever is being done at the governmental level, is mere publicity. In this case, it will also increase the popularity graph of leaders of the opposition. There is a possibility that Ch. Parvez Elahi might have chosen those points that are indefensible. As a former CM he already knows a lot about the ‘inner things and intricacies’ which made him make lengthy utterances with confidence never ever witnessed in any of his speeches in the past. ...mianrehman1@gmail.com