Javed Jaleel
As people are known by the company they keep, Lahore is known by the food it serves and there are a few names that have attained the legendary status with their varieties. From Nihari to Biryani’s invasion in Lahore, the city still doesn’t follow the phrase, “City never sleeps” but however it has a lot to offer that could be celebrated. If we talk about beverages, there is this infamous Hafiz Juice corner at Anarkali market near National College of Arts, he gives a supplementary glass with a juice totally complementary. There are many other names but one that comes to mind of those who happen to pass by gulberg and liberty more often is Bholli Juice Corner. What’s special about the place is the taste that this outlet offers, and a few other news that actually have kept Bholli in the limelight. What’s bigger than that is the founder of this place was a staunch supporter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
His love and association with the party have always been evident and he has been a stalwart supporter. Although his affection for Sharif brothers hadn’t affected his business as yet. He had placed photos of Mian Shehbaz Sharif and Mian Nawaz Sharif on the shop fascia of his outlet, pictures were twice the size of his own picture in the middle. Uptil now, this association wasn’t costing him his sales but after the sad device of its founder recently, the board has been replaced with a new one with his own picture minus Sharif brothers. This, although is presented as a fact over social media that people have started to dissociate themselves with the Sharif brothers. However, what remains undiscussed is his intolerance. What shall go unaddressed is our ability of acceptance of others point of view.
People are not only debating about dissociation of people with Sharif brothers but also calling them names to these supporters claiming the removal of their as their hypocrisy. What is even more disturbing that people have started to keep their vote secret and their support discreet. If a business entity expresses its support to the previous government in personal or professional capacity, our growing intolerance starts impacting our relationship with that person and business. In order to avoid any confrontation with those who support PTI, these pictures were taken down so Sharif brothers don’t cost Bholli its sales. This has never been an issue until recently, when one political party’s supporters have started building this narrative that whoever is or has ever supported PML-N or PPP is corrupt, which is neither true nor logical – rather it’s hampering freedom of speech, freedom of expression and this is not just about Bholli Juice corner.
This political victimization is being nurtured by one party supporters that is going to cost this country a lot. In a couple of years when PTI starts losing its strength, same would start decaying their bases, as what goes around, comes around. This is time that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team start acting like Pakistan’s people’s government, not just as public representatives from the platform of PTI. This attitude is not only contagious but it shall promote no-confidence in the government by the people. PTI needs to school its supporters to accept others as respectable as they think they are being Pakistani citizens. We need to stop promoting, “our prime minister is handsome, yours was a donkey”. This is planting hatred and prejudiced attitude from one side would ultimately cause a collective loss. We must start promoting peace and patience, we must start inculcating the values and virtues of blending because if we don’t blend as one, ultimately governmental strategies and their implementation shall suffer. By action as one mature party, one mature prime minister for all, Imran Khan must take everybody regardless of their associations on board and carve out ways to promote love and trade all simultaneously. Now that we are far beyond Shia-Sunni divide, we must remove this PML-N and PTI supporters divide too. Cross caste marriages have actually played their part in removing distances, if we don’t address this political divide then we might go worse than Shia-Sunni divide that decayed the cultural bonding for years.
