THE long, hard summer is coming to an end, and with it, politics seems to be awakening from its hibernation. It may partly have been the end of the summer holiday at parliament, but for once, the politicians are not simply using the new session to blindly vote for legislation. The rundown halls of the big building on Constitution Avenue are witnessing some politicking too, as party delegations connect for discussions and strategising. Even Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has spent the past two years playing hard to get, seems to be considering a ‘date’. The PPP, too, is, for once, doing more than paying lip service to the idea of sitting together. The rains have rejuvenated far more than the greenery in the capital.

But even the parliamentarians could not take attention away from their neighbours next door. After months of petitions and chatter about Imran Khan’s health, the Supreme Court also held a hearing on the matter. Perhaps this was due to the ‘alarming’ report on his medical well-being which made its way to the judges. It is still a bit unclear who ordered it and why but the court asked for a health check-up and a hospital stay for the former prime minister.

What followed the court’s order was pandemonium. After all, Khan has been locked up and has been out of sight (but not out of mind), since he was arrested before the election. A court order which allowed him to meet his family, consult his doctors and........

© Dawn