Waiting for the shoe to drop.

Perhaps never in Pakistan's chequered history has there been such a sense of those responsible not knowing what to do. It is not that no one seems to know what to do, but there is a feeling of all key players being paralyzed by events. Well, not exactly paralyzed, because everyone is working very hard, running with as much vigour as possible, to remain in the same place.

The paralysis seems general, with events being anxiously awaited, by those who have been used to making events happen.

Perhaps the most glaring example is the PTI. An election should bring it to power, but its chief, Imran Khan, is behind bars. He is already convicted in one case, and even though his sentence has been suspended, he has not been released, as he is undertrial in another case, under the Official Secrets Act. And then there are the May 9 attacks, for which he may be tried by military courts. Then there is the NAB enquiry into the Al-Qadir Trust case.

These are not merely pretexts for keeping him arrested, but for making sure that he stays in jail for a long time, certainly beyond the coming election. His party will thus have to campaign without him. This is the most serious loss the party has to face, but another debilitating loss has been the loss of the party organization, where a lot of stalwarts jumped ship after May 9. Apart from party organization, the PTI has also lost a lot of candidates, those who could not take the heat after May 9.

Apart from the election, from which Imran remains disqualified, the party is also headed for stormy waters if it is forced to decide its headship. With Imran disqualified, there will be an almighty struggle to head the party. That can only lead to more intraparty rifts and greater lack of viability in the polls.

At the moment, the PML(N) seems to be ahead of the PTI, because though at the moment both parties are without their leaders, the PML(N) should regain Mian Nawaz Sharif on October 21. While he and Imran Kha n seem to be in the same position, of being disqualified from contesting elections, Mian Nawaz is ahead, because his legal troubles, while not to be sneezed at, can be seen as disappearing in time for him to lead his party's election campaign.

However, the PML(N) seems in search of a narrative. Mian Nawaz launched one recently, calling for the accountability of a couple generals, and some Supreme Court judges, including two former Chief Justices of Pakistan, but now that seems to have been buried, as PML(N) have...