The parliamentary session yesterday marked the beginning of second parliamentary year of the National Assembly (NA). President Arif Alvi addressed the session to mark this opening and the focus of the discussion was the issue of Kashmir. The issue of Kashmir is one that unifies not just the population but also the political front of the country, however, the session was marked with a lot of chaos. The opposition started chanting slogans as soon as President Alvi began his address despite the seriousness of the issue at hand. This is nothing but a failure on both ends.

The opposition cannot seem to differentiate between matters that require cooperation and matters they can score political points on. Pinning the issue of Kashmir as the loss of the current government and labeling it as if Kashmir was sold by the current regime, shifts the narrative entirely and undermines the efforts of the Pakistani government to highlight how the Modi regime is currently operating in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). At the same time, it is also the failure of the sitting government to alienate the opposition to an extent that they are returning to hooliganism in the parliament that prohibits any significant discussion from both sides of the parliament.

It is a disappointment for the onlookers and the population of Pakistan that was watching the parliamentary session. After a year of complete disillusion from both sides and politics that is only restricted to blame games, such a sight was a reminder of the fact that politics in this country has in fact taken a back seat. The addition of the third party in the political system has not only jolted the traditional setup, but it has also changed the course of politics in the country. However, instead of being a turn for the positive, the “seasoned” politicians seem to be going back to the political narrative the polity has left far behind and will only result in making the population apolitical once again.

Both sides should learn a lesson from this session because the population of Pakistan cast their votes to see political growth in terms of politics, and policies. A complete alienation from both sides will only result in unmet goals, and Pakistan cannot afford that at this time. Pakistan is once again at a favourable situation internationally, and all the efforts must be dedicated to making use of that. History should be used to be cautious, however, the politics should be all about the future.