SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
The time was nigh and the prodigal son made his grand return to land to save us all. He was loud, he was bold – and then he vanished. Party ranks have leaked stories of a “serious disagreement” between father and son; Bilawal’s brutal honesty, reformist agendas and vocal dissatisfaction with the inept and corrupt old guard having forgotten his slain mother’s legacy apparently ruffled some feathers. Party spokespersons deny such rumours and maintain that Bilawal is out of the country because of security concerns. Few believe this version. His continued absence from the political narrative could only have come about through a split of some kind, especially at a time of momentous upheavals in the political landscape.
Yet Bilawal simply can’t be the man to call it a day and “split” from the party that is his grandfather’s legacy. There are a few scenarios one can consider. First, that there really is serious disagreement on policy issues. In which case, all we see is a quiet sulking boy when he should be out proactively forging his own path within or without the party. If the corrupt and inept party members are an affront to party ideology, why not take this opportunity to criticise them? Additionally, he has remained silent in the aftermath of the Peshawar tragedy. The same goes for the establishment of military courts and the resultant civil- military imbalance; apart from a solitary tweet, the scion of the scourge of military rule is absolutely mum. Second scenario: that there was some disagreement that is now being sustained. Certainly, senior party members already dissatisfied with the leadership can appreciate the prudence behind distancing Bilawal from his father if the party is supposed to return to its glory days. Quite clever too; it is perhaps the only way Bilawal can disassociate PPP from what it has come to represent under his father. Either way, the disappearance of Bilawal could actually end up doing the PPP a great deal of good in the long run if it is played out wisely. Time will tell.
Courtesy: thenation.com.pk
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