Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf of Imran Khan had indeed surprised many by bringing a record number of first timers to the National Assembly through the elections of July 2018.

Notwithstanding a plethora of questions that the PTI critics drummed about the fairness of those elections, hopeful types like me preferred to look forward, due to the arrival of this youthful crowd.

During its long years in the opposition, the PTI had certainly introduced a unique kind of vigor and perseverance to our politics. One sincerely hoped that the crowd of first timers would transfer the same energy to assembly proceedings. Their active participation might at least take us back to 1985.

In that year, General Zia had decided to “share some power” with elected representatives after ruling this country for eight years as an unforgiving military dictator. He had also employed all available tricks to keep the usual politicians out of the elected houses, held in 1985 on “non-party basis.”

But soon after reaching there, the youthful first timers ganged up to snatch more and more powers for decision making from him. He could not reconcile with it and in sheer anger dismissed the assembly he had created with superb Machiavellian management, only after three years of its existence in May 1988.

The crowd of first timers that the PTI had brought in 2018 has failed to even flutter. Their presence surely reflects some color and glitter on the floor. But that’s about it.

Tuesday is reserved for private initiatives in legislation. Disregarding its importance, members from both sides of the aisle quickly agreed to continue with trivial speechmaking for hypocritically wailing over the Sahiwal incident. Instead of diligently focusing on the said incident, every speaker seemed obsessed simply to score points.

A Joint Investigating Team, comprising representatives of various law enforcing and intelligence gathering agencies, had been given “72 hours only” to furnish its report regarding the said incident.

Apparently, the first draft of its report is now available with the Chief Minister of Punjab. But unconfirmed media reports related to its details miserably fail to explain as to why a squad of the Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab went almost berserk to kill members of an ordinary and regular looking family, sitting in a car en route to Burewala from Lahore, with the clear intent of attending a marriage.

After spreading so many conflicting stories about the said incident, the CTD finally seemed claiming that at least the person driving the said vehicle was a wanted “terrorist.” The rest of passengers were then callously described as “collateral damage” of an anti-terrorism operation.

Yet, there were no answers to questions triggered due to heart-wrenching trauma that three kids of the travelling family had to endure in the end.

Probably, we now have to wait for the formation of a “judicial commission” as well to tell us but the whole truth. Although visible attempts had already been made to mislead the potential interrogators with certain dismissals and filing the cases of murder against some CTD personnel.

The speeches in the National Assembly, we suffered nonstop Tuesday evening sounded doubly unjustified while relying on half-baked information.

Some PTI backbenchers were, however, certain that “many more heads will roll in the Punjab Government and administration,” once their leader returns from his visit to Qatar. They anticipated the removal of the Inspector General Police of Punjab as well.

The PML-N members, familiar with power dynamics of Takht-e-Lahore, however, feel that the Sahiwal tragedy has rather deepened the tussle for more power and territorial control among the self-styled “pillars of the Punjab Government.”

Chaudhry Sarwar, the Governor, is considered one of them. The incumbent IG is perceived as his nominee and crony and his possible removal will, in effect, amount to but clipping the ambitious wings of Chaudhry Sarwar.

A different set of Lahore-watchers, both from the PTI and the PML-N, however, believe that Osman Buzdar is all set to end as the ultimate casualty of the blowback of Sahiwal Tragedy.

The too urban and the Central-Punjab based ‘base’ of the PTI has been feeling embarrassed over the selection of Buzdar as the Chief Minister of the most populous province of Pakistan. Imran Khan kept standing by him like a rock, though, and strongly tried to carve Buzdar into “Wasim Akram Plus.”

The PTI base desperately wants The Captain to give them a Chief Minister for Punjab who must force people to forget Shehbaz Sharif’s hands-on management with driven looking energy.

Some PTI diehards seriously believe that a real estate tycoon turned politician from Lahore, Aleem Khan, is tailor made to help fading out memories associated with Shehbaz Sharif. Immediately after holding of July 2018 elections, he almost looked to have made it to the Chief Minister’s Office. But the NAB suddenly summoned him to answer some questions.

A passionate supporter and promoter of Aleem Khan, from among the PTI legislators, told me in parliamentary lobby Tuesday with utter confidence that a vicious real estate tycoon had “financed the media campaign to malign Aleem Khan” with corruption stories.

“The whole game now stands fully exposed and the hard core Lahori (Aleem Khan) is now heading fast to replace the man from DG Khan.” I still have doubts, though.

Walking in the lobbies, one was rather more interested to find out whether Asad Umer, the finance minister, would table a “mini-budget” or a “reform package” Wednesday.

Even a hyperactive minister, often taking keen interest in financial management of the PTI government, had no believable answer to my question. He looked clueless.

Separately talking to me some PTI backbenchers, however, kept claiming that, “no new tax would be introduced” by the finance minister Wednesday. They rather expected a package of “substantive incentives” from him to kick-starting the revival of our sluggish looking economy.

One of these backbenchers, known for active access to a top stockbroker and known mover and shaker of the political scene, rather took time to finally admit to me that he got the “incentive story” from a group of active players of Karachi Stock Exchange. We have but to wait for Wednesday.