As general elections, slated or impromptu, loom closer, the major players, all daggers drawn, have entered the political fray. From glimpses of the beginning rounds, of the ensuing judicial and political melee, we are in for some interesting times.

The opposition sensing a chink in the ruling party`s armour, at the minimum morally, appear to be united in their ef forts to pressurise the government.

Naturally, there are exceptions: one of the main political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Awami National Party (ANP), has decided to sit this one out.

Divergence of its view with the ruhng party there, Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI), apparent.

Others dissenting consist of the motley crew of some religious and regional parties.One of the parties, having taken a page f rom the ruling party`s protest manual, has set up camp at the historic Nasir Bagh in Lahore. This venue was opted for reluctantly since permission for the originally planned site, Minar-i-Pakistan, was denied by the government. The main thrust of the protest is against loadshedding, as evident from the senior leadership fanning off their indignation with hand f ans.

Incidentally, if the opposition`s mode of protest is an exact replica of the ruling party`s earlier game play, the government`s response certainly has an element of déjà vu about it. Their latest attempts at stemming the energy crisis being mobile and rental power solutions.

Apparently, the old adage: the more things change the more they stay the same, certainly hasgreat resonance with us. While the players may change, the underlying game of vested interests, which for the most part isfixed, remains the same.

The Jamaat-i-Islami and PTI have taken the route of holding protest rallies around the coun-try. The prime minister has been for a while in the campaign mode. At various rallies around the country, inauguration of area-specific development schemes and promises of doling out other benefits has become a regularfeature. The PTIhadits rallies, in comparison, referred to affectionately, as `jalsees` by the PM. Apparently, in this case size matters.

The underlying impetus for the opposition is the continuation of the Panama Papers fallout. Currently, the PM`s case remains sub judice and a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has finally been formed after alterations and adverse comments for the government by the Supreme Court.

Another thorn in the government`s side remains the contentious relations with the military.Despite the dismissal of two senior government functionaries, the military, in a much public disagreement, remained unappeased. An unexpected visit by an Indian steel magnate, apparently a friend of the PM, and his conspicuous presence at all previous encounters with the Indian prime minster, has further compounded problems for the government. Apart from the military, the persistent and brutal crackdown by the authorities in India-held Kashmir has led to most questioning the appropriateness of any attempts at backchannel diplomacy with our neighbours at this time.

While we try to make sense of this political muddle, the plight of the common man remains as capricious and assailed by all manner of trials. The recent case of two doctors, one of whom is asenior functionary of the Young Doctors Association using a private residence as a makeshift donor harvesting facility, one which was compared to an abattoir by the raiding authorities, leaves little to the imagination.

A fatal shooting of three children by a father and drowning of children of by their own mother due to abject poverty, despite their horror and enormity, does little to dent our apathetic souls.

While the powerful and mighty clash over money and power, the common man remains at their mercy, trampled as grass as ever.

Gem of the week: the chief justice of Pakistan during a visit to Lahore had this to say:`The judges have to strictly follow the law.

A case of better late than never, or so one would think. AM Lahori (AmLahori@gmail.com)