Only ten billion?

Fleeting moments

PTI chief Imran Khan thinks big. When he dreams about his future, it’s nothing less than the premiership of the country. And when he talks about money, it’s always in billions. He recently claimed that the Sharifs offered him Rs10 billion to be quiet on Panama Leaks case. The good old rupee might have tumbled low, yet 10 billion is a fabulous amount.

According to Khan, 10 billion was only a starting point. It means the deal could have been sealed in 10 to 20 billion, with 2 billion going to the messenger. Many, including this mortal, would love to be a messenger with the promise of pocketing two billion. One would never have to work again; in fact, one’s next generation wouldn’t need to work either – and no more writing a piece for this newspaper. Why waste time? Alas! Khan blew away a chance of a lifetime. For someone on the wrong side of sixty, 10b would be a cool breeze in hot summers.

Some of the top politicos have a penchant for making statements that look preposterous when uttered. Maryam Nawaz tweeted that the Panama Papers had been “trashed in the rest of the world”. And that the “Panama Papers were never about corruption”. How could she come out with such a claim when some important politicians in the West whose names appeared in the scandal stepped down quietly instead of facing trials?

Soon after Maryam’s tweet, German journalist Bastian Obermayer – who had broken the story – spoke in his defence: “Sorry to tell you, the Panama Papers are about corruption.”

Imran Khan and Maryam Nawaz, both each other’s nemesis, may have wanted to elevate themselves to a high moral pedestal: Khan, by declining a 10b offer deridingly and Maryam by trashing the Panama Papers altogether. But their outbursts were nothing more than braggadocio.

The Panama leaks episode may have tarnished the image of the Sharif family, but how does the public at large looks at it? Surely, the law must take its course against the Sharifs, but what about others? What about Asif Zardari’s $60 million stashed in the Swiss banks? Remember how Yousuf Raza Gilani, instead of writing to the Swiss authorities to repatriate the peculated amount to public kitty, opted to quit the premiership. Now Asif Zardari and son Bilawal, the PPP’s leader in the making, cry hoarse against corruption. Chaudhry Nisar rightly labelled AZ’s outpouring a sign of the approaching Day of Judgement.

Imran Khan claimed that one of our honourable judges called the prime minister a liar. My Lord quickly countered Imran Khan’s statement against the PM, which Khan had attributed to his lordship. In our politics, before an event reaches to its logical end, a new one emerges. But Imran Khan’s language against the Sharifs borders on incivility – departure from Oxford mannerism and restraint. Many blame Sheikh Rashid for it. As the head of his own party – which has a negligible following – the ‘Son of Rawalpindi’ performs best at gatherings arranged by other parties. People consider him a rabble-rouser more than a sober politician.

The nation has been diverted to an election mode prematurely. The PTI and the PPP are holding rallies in different cities: the PTI in order to score points against the ruling party and the PPP to rejuvenate its abysmally low popularity because of its poor performance during its last stint in power. But large crowds at rallies do not necessarily reflect the popularity of any party. Such crowds are usually drawn from other cities for such rallies. Whether these crowds translate into votes is another matter.

If the headcount in any political gathering were the measure to judge the popularity of the party, religious parties would have done much better at the polls.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore.

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