Whenever a leader fails anywhere, a clique of sycophants and hypocrites is one of the primary reasons for his failures. And Pakistani leaders are no exception to this. It is Imran Khan’s second year as the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan. Despite his tall claims that he would lead the country to take it out of all sort of crisis with the help of his expert team, things have not much changed. The government’s performance in some sectors is worse than its predecessor’s.

Why is the government unable to put the things on the right track? There are many reasons for it, but one reason is the sycophants and hypocrites who have surrounded PM Khan. Khan’s leading ally in the centre and Punjab Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has also asked the PM to get rid of such people if he were serious in delivering on the promises he made to the nation. Though Khan may find his ally’s warning a kind of betrayal, probably, it is one of the sanest pieces of advice that the PM will ever hear.

However, there can be another interpretation of Shujaat Hussain’s words. The words may also suggest that despite an earlier announcement that the two coalition partners have resolved their difference, there are some critical outstanding issues. With the recent criticism of PML-Q’s chief, one thing is clear: the cracks between the two parties still exist, and they are perhaps growing.

Given that a coalition partner is also speaking the language of the opposition parties, Khan must try to investigate “the fault in his stars.” PM Khan needs to pay heed to the words of his partners. Failing to take his coalition partners on board may create enormous difficulties for the government. Considering the impending protests by the religious parties Khan cannot afford to lose a partner as valuable as Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain.