Vanity, insanity

August 13, 2024

ISLAMABAD – It is a clarion call to the nation, urging it to dream beyond limitations and believe in the possibility of greatness, no matter how distant it may seem. Nadeem’s triumph offers a rare moment of collective national pride, validating the aspirations of an entire country through the extraordinary achievement of one man.

Yet, in the wake of such a monumental victory, a curious and somewhat disheartening spectacle unfolded on social media. A day after Nadeem’s gold medal win, a widely circulated video captured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif watching the event on television. In the video, a member of his political party could be heard repeatedly attributing Nadeem’s success to the PM’s vision — a statement as perplexing as it was disingenuous.

Here was a man, Arshad Nadeem, who had clawed his way to the top through sheer talent and hard work, achieving the seemingly impossible against all odds and entirely on his own. And yet, in the corridors of power, there was an attempt to co-opt his victory, to somehow claim it as a product of strategic vision and foresight. It was a moment that laid bare the vanity and self-importance that so often taint the higher echelons of power and which perfectly encapsulated the disconnect between Pakistan’s political leadership and the realities of its people.

This disconnect is not merely an isolated incident; it is a pervasive issue that runs deep within the fabric of Pakistan’s political landscape. While there can be no doubt that the PM, like all Pakistanis, was genuinely elated by Nadeem’s victory, the fact that his subordinates felt the need to make it about his vision speaks volumes about the state of leadership in the country. The role of a political leader