He may have only been hit by a shoe, but the MQM boycott of the Sindh Assembly proceedings after ex-Chief Minister of Sindh Arbab Rahim was assaulted by an alleged PPP worker has highlighted a bigger problem: the air of national reconciliation which swept through the country post-election seems to be vanishing away, and fast.

The statements made by the PPP and MQM leadership in Karachi last week, announcing that all is well between both parties did not go down well with each party’s supporters, who have been bitterly divided for many years. Making speeches and announcing forgiveness from all sides may make for good television, but it does not wipe away years of anger harbored by both parties’ political workers.

Reconciliation, in a country where political parties have schemed and plotted against each other for years and embarked on political victimization is a great idea. However, taking the party’s loyal supporters into confidence before announcements of brotherhood is an even better one.

In the meantime, as emotions run high in Karachi, the ones suffering are the city’s citizens, who fear a repeat of political turmoil and violence in the 90s. As PPP leader Asif Zardari continues working on his reconciliation agenda, he must realize that reconciliation will take years, and not a day to achieve.