This is not an exageration but an eventuality that could very well happen. I have come to the conclusion not only because IK is the only national leader we have at the moment and Maryum and Bilalwal are restricted in support within their provinces but there is a history to this in our country.
Lets go back to the election between Fatima Jinnah and Ayub Khan. Fatima Jinnah was perhaps the only politician from West Pakistan having any traction in East Pakistan. Her loss and the subsiquent rigging allegations paved the way for Awami League to exploit the sentiments of Bengali youth at the time and appeal to them that their os no one in West Pakistan capable of looking after their interests.
Fatima Jinnah's loss and the violence there-after also left a deep impact on Karachi politics and that memory was exploited by the likes of MQM 2 decades later.
Now coming back to the present, IKs primary support base is KPK. Pakistan especially KPK is experiencing a youth bulge. If IK is removed, do you see any other politician from Punjab who can connect with the youth there. Maryum has already shown her Punjabi Nationalist tendencies and Bilawal is a lost cause.
PTM might have fizzled out but it is clear that if IK is removed from the scene, those young bloods who are looking for a cause might find someone else who they connect with more on a personal level. Especially if the feeling is that IKs removal is the collusion of powerful interests who keep backing a Regional Punjab-based party despite repeated instigations.
