Sidrah Zaheer

Aftab Iqbal, the current host of the political-humour talk show Khabarnaak on GEO News, has come up with further controversial comments about Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) and Imran Khan. He said that he sees only two major political parties on the political stage of Pakistan in the next election and those two parties are Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). According to him, PTI has no future amongst these political stalwarts anymore and that it has lost its charm and popularity.

Aftab Iqbal was asked by one of the naïve young audience members on his show how he sees the current “political stock market” of Pakistan faring. In reply, he gave his myopic comments about PTI and Imran Khan’s ability to lead. In his view, PTI’s “upward trend” has received a set back and if things are not worsening for PTI, then they are neither improving in their favour. Misleading the youth’s understanding of political situation in Pakistan, he presented PTI as no force to be reckoned with calling it over and done. He claimed further that there are “no two views” about this doomed status of PTI.

He seems to be blinded by his prejudice for PML-N that he made such statements with no forethought. It is almost like satisfying one’s own failure in the face of such loss when clearly PML-N is being supported by those who do not want any change to occur in Pakistan’s status quo. Aftab Iqbal said that PML-N had a “sigh of relief” due to this downward change in PTI’s strength. This might be a dream for PML-N, it is not yet a reality for them as PML-N is not gaining any new supporters, whereas as PTI has grown from strength to strength. Such biased journalists as Aftab Iqbal who are willing to sell their professional loyalty for meager fame and money are to be blamed for everything that is wrong with the fourth pillar of state in this country.

Due to such irresponsible journalists, media’s corruption embeds in this land. It makes even harder to get rid of such a mess created by these mouthpieces of political looters. Forever favouring any politician from Punjab, he has already been blamed for his partiality towards PML-N. Such disoriented media personalities as Aftab Iqbal should be banned from television shows forever. It seems a total waste of one’s abilities and education when after all this one continues to hold murky political views.

A couple of weeks earlier, Aftab Iqbal openly acknowledged Imran Khan’s standings on his show and said that Imran Khan is the only ideological and pro-people politician in Pakistan and that PTI understands a common man and reaches out to him for his needs. Now, taking a 180-degree turn, he is facing somewhere else calling PTI’s future finished. One of things that Pakistani nation has been denied is its ability to gauge political scenario and its players.

Saying that PML-N helped built Imran Khan to oppose PPP is actually overlooking the fact how far-reaching PTI has itself become without any other political party’s support. Aftab Iqbal is the only one claiming such to be the case, whereas everyone else does not hesitate to recognize the fact that PTI has grassroots’ support of ordinary people all across the country.

According to Aftab Iqbal, PML-N made a mistake of helping to make Imran Khan stronger as he proved to be counterproductive because now Imran Khan made PPP appear stronger compared to other parties and more than it is worth. On the other hand, PPP also gave Imran Khan a “safe passage”, in Aftab Iqbal’s view. It is as if, PTI does not have any independent purpose of existence and it is merely a pawn in front of these life-sucking political parties.

The most unfortunate aspect of Aftab Iqbal having a show is that some disoriented youth who are not able to form independent opinion, depend on such parochial analyses by such sold-out media personalities. Trying further to mislead the youth, Aftab Iqbal gave his “prediction” by saying that his “rational and objective analysis” says that is no other major political upheaval took place, then PPP will win this next election forming coalition with the same parties as now. The fact is, if fair elections will be held in 2013, PTI has huge chance of serving in the leadership of the government.

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