The wayward opposition returns home – yet again. On Tuesday, Imran Khan decided to end his boycott of the Parliament and bring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) with him. While the swelling of the opposition benches with an aggressive and popular party would be a cause for celebration in most lawmaking bodies, PTI had different motives in mind, and lawmaking wasn’t one of them. A shouting match was what we saw, with little more than a reiteration of the party stances, albeit at an entirely different decibel level than usual. Imran Khan’s quest to “get” the Prime Minister brings him back to the Parliament, and only that.

Having failed to win a verdict from the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the Panamagate issue last week, Imran Khan plans to turn to the parliament. The plan is much simpler this time, no arguments for an empowered commission, no appeals for a disqualification motion, the PTI plans to drag the Prime Minister over the coals for the many inconsistencies in his stance over the purchase and finance of his properties. Chief among them is the Prime Minister’s speech on the floor of the Parliament immediately after the issue broke surface. During the court hearings Nawaz Sharif’s lawyers presented a contradictory story – one designed to get a favourable verdict – and termed that speech a “political statement” – which is as close to an admission of wilfully lying one can get in political parlance.

This and other inconsistencies definitely need to be explained, by the Prime Minister, on the same floor of National Assembly where he so easily twisted the facts. And with the Pakistan People’s Party joining the fray – opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah being the one who submitted a privilege motion against the prime minister for allegedly committing “contempt of the parliament” – one can expect a few lively days in the National Assembly.

Apart from publicly naming and shaming the government in televised sessions, where the burden of proof will be reversed and the standards of admissible evidence non-existent, these motions will achieve very little tangible change. The PTI and PPP will be able to energise their voter-base and win political points, while the government will have to abandon all else to once more close ranks around the Sharif family. All in all, a feisty roadshow.

PTI’s return to the Parliament would have held more meaning if it had planned to stick around and perform some of the duties of a responsible opposition; namely constructive debate, lawmaking, oversight of the executive, representation of the electorate, and contribution to standing committees. What we saw with torn agendas, scenes of protest and ruckus being created was expected. Imran Khan’s mind seems to be made up – he would go to any lengths to get Nawaz Sharif, and not enough to work for the nation.