Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Imran Khan are engaged in a battle of words in the province of Sindh. Both leaders have addressed political gatherings in the past days and both spent the majority of their time targeting the performance of the other.

During this political tenure, Sindh as a province has been ignored by parties that have been aiming for the centre. This goes for both parties. Politics is concentrated in the province of Punjab; the party which takes the most votes here usually forms the government. This is why both Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) have been lobbying to break the strong hold of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), especially in southern Punjab.

This policy choice has had a huge impact on the provinces both parties got a majority from. There are issues very relevant to the people of Sindh but not a word was uttered to explain a plan to overcome them. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto chose the easier way out and accused Imran Khan of not being capable of running a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Imran Khan pointed out the same for Sindh - the lack of planning by provincial government, the inevitable reality of corruption and the growing water and energy crisis.

The rhetoric which both political leaders are using is not new. Maligning other parties is part of the game but the strategy pales in front of the fact that there little to no tangible evidence of concrete and coherent policy making in both the provinces. PTI during the last four years has conveniently focused on rigged elections and Panama, while PPP has only played the classic passive role of opposition during the rule. In fact, PPP at this point is finding it hard to gain political ground outside Sindh.

Hence, at this point the conditions for both parties are not favourable. Masses realise the sweeping statement and larger than life promises, when in actuality both relative provinces are facing administrative problems. Had they provided a concrete solution to the problems of the citizens, only then would have accusations against each other mattered. If people do not know the solution for water problems, pollution, militancy, development and economic growth; there is no guaranteeing who garners larger support. These parties need to realise that politics has also evolved. People do not buy such rhetoric anymore; they need tangible proofs of work being done.