Opposition parties revel in the task of finding faults in the government of the time. Thinking of new ways to blame the government for setbacks is one of the favourite pastimes of opposing parties internationally. However, there is a fine line between pointing out the government’s failings and concocting completely new and unrelated ones in order to get a few cheers from a charged crowd. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s suggestion of a collusion between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Indian government is the prime example of when politicking is taken one step too far.

To even allude that the Prime Minister’s meeting with Indian businessman, Sajjan Jindal’s was used as a means to decide upon a stay for the execution of Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav is beyond ludicrous. The PTI Chief – a man (hopefully) well-versed about the procedures involving the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – should know that the decision for the stay is not predicated on a collusion between the two countries. In any case, the decision is by no means permanent, is only hinged upon granting consular access, and Pakistan intends on fighting tooth and nail for the case to go in its favour, which is why Imran Khan’s reasons for criticising the government are on shaky ground.

Throwing around accusations of treason in the political arena is also very dangerous, especially for a country that has only been democratic for one half of its short history. PTI, in its attempt to score a point, has gone on its heedless crusade against the government without even stopping to consider the sort of dangerous trend it is setting in the political sphere once more. Additionally, misinforming and leading the sheer number of people that support PTI is highly disingenuous, especially if PTI does not believe these allegations itself – which is highly likely.

Imran Khan’s rhetoric has more than once bordered on the lines of delusional, and this paranoia that the government is intentionally looking to take the country in a downward spiral is nothing but a conspiracy theory. As an educated politician, more is expected from a leader of one of the biggest opposition parties in the country. PTI’s criticism of the government should stem from rational arguments, and not ridiculous allegations that have no connection to the real picture. The party needs to stop relying on its favourite tactic – to berate and malign the government unintentionally in the hopes of swaying the voter in its camp, instead it should take on actual issues confronting the country, and tell the electorate how it can do better.