The electoral fever is gripping the country with increasing intensity. In such times, political parties’ leadership is busy leaving, and even ordinary workers are engrossed. No one seems to have an agenda other than electoral objectives.
In this scenario, Pakistan’s lone “smart” politician, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, has, God knows why, decided to tie the knot for himself. Now, these are the days when major parties fear losing seats to smaller ones, worrying about seat adjustments. Even if that is not the case, politicians are too busy with election campaigns to engage in any other activities. Therefore, Maulana’s presence was not sought after in the wedding celebrations of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
If you ponder, marriage is not just a political but a social ceremony. Its invitation is not for some high-profile conference but for a child’s wedding. Social and private life is so distinct from politics that many politicians have married the children of leaders from opposing parties. These relationships have often remained amicable. It highlights the crucial role that politicians’ personal lives play in not affecting their political lives.
If we look closely, marriage is not just a political but a social ceremony. Its invitation is not for some high-profile conference but for a child’s wedding. Social and private life is so distinct from politics that many politicians have married the children of leaders from opposing parties. These relationships have often remained amicable. It highlights the crucial role that politicians’ personal lives play in not affecting their political lives.
In this context, we recall two incidents. One is when the PTI attacked the leadership of the Noon League through its social media workers as a punishment for not participating in the wedding. It was a unique spectacle to witness the PTI criticizing its leader for not attending the wedding. This incident, however, points towards a new trend in politics.
If we analyze further, we can see that the wedding is not just a political but a social event. Its invitation is not for some high-profile conference but for a child’s wedding. Social and private life is so distinct from politics that many politicians have married the children of leaders from opposing parties. These relationships have often remained amicable. It highlights the crucial role that politicians’ personal lives play in not affecting their political lives.
The incident with Wajahat Masood reveals a new aspect of politics. Until now, when has a non-political event like a wedding become a political issue? To answer this question, one should observe the grave of a poet, and the answer might become apparent. In which culture is it customary to turn a wedding invitation refusal into an accusation of blasphemy against a politician? In this whole situation, we are reminded of two incidents.
One is when we tweeted against the Noon League one day, and JUI-F responded fiercely, entangling us in a theological debate. These were the days when the PTI thought that all politicians had sworn allegiance to Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and it seemed like he was their leader. In response to JUI-F’s strong reaction, we suggested that they stay within their limits; otherwise, the day might come when big parties would start questioning their loyalty during the election campaign. The PTI’s workers labeled the PML-N’s leadership as “Maula Fazlur Rahman,” a term that would likely stick in the new circumstances.
Political insight is crucial, and it becomes evident when the PML-N supporter fiercely criticizes the Shahbaz government despite being a supporter. When we criticized them purely for political reasons, not only PTI workers but also their leader became dissatisfied with us. However, even though Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were their strong supporters, they are now being singled out for not participating in the wedding. It seems as if their politics had flaws, and now their ethics are also under scrutiny.
They seem to be lacking even basic moral standards. Such politicians should start preparing to receive abuse from the PTI supporters, who are already planning to criticize them for not participating in the circumcision ceremony of the child born as a result of this recent marriage.
