Point-scoring over heart-wrenching tragedy.

Byline: NUSRAT JAVEED

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf of Imran Khan had indeed surprised many by bringing a record number of first timers to the National Assembly through the elections of July 2018.

Notwithstanding a plethora of questions that the PTI critics drummed about the fairness of those elections, hopeful types like me preferred to look forward, due to the arrival of this youthful crowd.

During its long years in the opposition, the PTI had certainly introduced a unique kind of vigor and perseverance to our politics. One sincerely hoped that the crowd of first timers would transfer the same energy to assembly proceedings. Their active participation might at least take us back to 1985.

In that year, General Zia had decided to 'share some power' with elected representatives after ruling this country for eight years as an unforgiving military dictator. He had also employed all available tricks to keep the usual politicians out of the elected houses, held in 1985 on 'non-party basis.'

But soon after reaching there, the youthful first timers ganged up to snatch more and more powers for decision making from him. He could not reconcile with it and in sheer anger dismissed the assembly he had created with superb Machiavellian management, only after three years of its existence in May 1988.

The crowd of first timers that the PTI had brought in 2018 has failed to even flutter. Their presence surely reflects some color and glitter on the floor. But that's about it.

Tuesday is reserved for private initiatives in legislation. Disregarding its importance, members from both sides of the aisle quickly agreed to continue with trivial speechmaking for hypocritically wailing over the Sahiwal incident. Instead of diligently focusing on the said incident, every speaker seemed obsessed simply to score points.

A Joint Investigating Team, comprising representatives of various law enforcing and intelligence gathering agencies, had been given '72 hours only' to furnish its report regarding the said incident.

Apparently, the first draft of its report is now available with the Chief Minister of Punjab. But unconfirmed media reports related to its details miserably fail to explain as to why a squad of the Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab went almost berserk to kill members of an ordinary and regular looking family, sitting in a car en route to Burewala from Lahore, with the clear intent of attending a marriage.

After spreading so many conflicting stories about the...