Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the most widely read among the current generation of politicians. She had command over literature, politics, history, and international affairs. In literature, she not only liked the famous play Julius Caesar by the legendary English playwright William Shakespeare, but she had also memorized its important dialogues and would recite them when needed. One major reason for her liking Julius Caesar was perhaps that, among Shakespeare’s works, it is the most political play. It presents the rise and fall of politics and the reality of public opinion with such beauty that even centuries after being written, its impact has not diminished—in fact, it has grown stronger.

In our region, under the names of public opinion, the voice of the people, awareness, public thinking, and the voice of the masses, sometimes an individual’s voice is presented as a collective voice. Personal agendas are brought forward in the name of the public. Apparently, public opinion is such a reality that, like the voice of the people, it cannot be denied. But when public opinion is based on misguidance, then it is not reality but deception. Accepting such public opinion is equivalent to suicide.

A major event in the history of the great Roman Empire was the assassination of Julius Caesar on the steps of the Senate. Shakespeare wrote his play after this historical event, highlighting the ups and downs of public opinion and the positive and negative roles in politics. Julius Caesar (after whom the month of July is named) is a great figure in history. Caesar (called Qaisar-e-Rome in Arabic) ruled over Rome, Egypt, and Europe. He was considered the greatest conqueror of Rome and also held the honor of being the husband of the Egyptian beauty and queen Cleopatra.

Anyway, due to conspiracies by his own people, Caesar was stabbed. When his close friend and right-hand man Brutus struck him, Caesar uttered the famous phrase, “Brutus, you too?”—a phrase that remains a proverb for betrayal by a friend. As soon as Caesar’s death is confirmed, one of the conspirators, Cinna, presents a narrative to shape public opinion, saying:
“Liberty, Freedom, Tyranny is dead, run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.”

To conceal Caesar’s murder, a narrative of freedom was crafted so that he could be portrayed as a tyrant and his killing justified. Immediately after the murder, Brutus, the main culprit, says:
“O senators and people, do not be afraid, do not run away, stand calmly, for the taste of power’s greed has been dealt with.”

Thus, Brutus tried to justify the murder of Caesar by declaring him guilty of lust for power and urged people to remain calm so that chaos would not amplify the incident.

Caesar’s friend, General Mark Antony, came before the crowd and turned the tide of public opinion. Seeing Caesar lying in blood, he said:
“Why are you lying like this on the ground? Your victories, your achievements—have they all been sacrificed to some petty desire?”
“Your blood is the most noble blood in the world.”

Shakespeare presents Brutus as a very good orator, and his speech after the murder is considered a masterpiece in literature. Addressing the public, Brutus said:
“O countrymen and those who love me, listen to me and remain silent. It is not that I loved Caesar less than you, but I loved my country Rome more than any individual.”

Mark Antony presented a counter-narrative and changed public opinion. He said:
“Brutus says Caesar was ambitious. If that is so, I presented him the crown three times, and he refused. He freed prisoners of war—was that ambition? He wept for the poor—was that also ambition?”

Mark Antony’s emotional speech completely destroyed Brutus’s attempt to create a deceptive public opinion.

After Caesar’s murder, the claim by the killers that it was done in national interest and to eliminate a man guilty of lust for power was merely a deception. In reality, as Shakespeare suggests, Brutus himself wanted to become Caesar.

Misleading public opinion, giving people deceptive narratives, and keeping them away from reality continue even today. The world has become very modern, much has changed, but human emotions—love, hatred, greed, desires, and intentions—have not changed.

Even today in Pakistan, efforts are ongoing to mislead and deceive public opinion. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf misled public opinion by claiming that the United States removed their government, and then even expected that the U.S. President would get their leader released from jail. Then public opinion was misled again by claiming that Khan tried to form a new Islamic bloc, whereas in reality, apart from the Taliban in Afghanistan, not a single Muslim country’s leader agreed with him.

Then public opinion is continuously misled by saying that the army has always done wrong and that it removed Khan from power, while the reality is that the same party still wants to negotiate only with the army.

In the case of Iran as well, misleading and deception in public opinion continues. The United States and its president try to show that everything in Iran has collapsed, while Iran, despite thousands of sacrifices, claims victory over the U.S. Both sides are deceptive. The reality is that peace is the only solution for both; otherwise, the U.S. will lose more credibility, and Iran will face further destruction.

The U.S. could not gain public support for this war, while in Pakistan, Iran enjoys blind public support. President Trump may think that a decisive victory in war against Iran will turn public opinion in his favor and people will declare him victorious. Iran believes that continued resistance will exhaust the U.S. in a prolonged war. Both are mistaken.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and political actors, even if only mentally, have temporarily lost public support. At present, defense and the state have become a greater reality than the deception or illusion of political narratives.

Public support for state policies is quite evident, but such support is never unconditional. Along with the dignity and prestige of the state, economic issues for the people are extremely important. That is why Baba Farid declared bread to be the sixth pillar of Islam.

Will our economic problems be resolved after the Middle East crisis ends? The future of public opinion depends on the answer to this question.