If we were asked to single out the country’s key issue at this point of time, I would not hesitate to state that the key issue is the hesitation of the prime minister (or his failure) to clear himself from the charges of misdoings (or corruption) that had cropped up against him about twenty weeks back when there had been explosive international disclosures that came to be known as Panama Leaks.
The Prime Minister’s initial response had been quite encouraging.
He had offered himself for a probe so that he could earn complete exoneration. But thereafter, as various conflicting and mutually contradictory statements on his own part and on the part of his offsprings started surfacing, the prime minister embarked upon a journey of ‘strategic evasiveness’ to buy maximum time so that the issue could get diffused and drowned in the whirlpool of the other issues.
The reason I regard the issue of the Panama Leaks the central issue of the country is that a man whose own integrity is shrouded in doubts cannot be expected to address honestly the other national issues, requiring a high degree of conscientiousness. How can a person accused himself of theft judge the other alleged thieves?
I have yet to come across a person who can genuinely liberate himself (or herself) from the fallout of his deeds.
Just have a close view of the pictures that are released of the meetings of the PM and the COAS, arguably the Top Two decision-makers of the country. I will be surprised if you can’t detect a certain degree of ‘suspiciousness’ in the way they look at each other. That is what they call ‘Body Language’.
You may be interested in knowing what I read in their looks.
In the looks of one I read this question: “Did you or didn’t you do it sir?”
In the looks of the other I read: “What are you upto? When are you going to disappear from my view?”