Blocking NATO supplies: Imran Khan's stance is for national security

Imran Khan has always been someone whom people have admired. His stance is for the right cause and our best interest.

Imran Khan has always been a personality admired by people. Starting from his cricketing days to his entrance into politics, people have only expected good from him.

The  mercurial dynamics of politics in Pakistan have not affected his attitude and temperament much over the last 17 years; however, things seem to be experiencing a shift since his party has formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), earlier this year.

Ideally, what we need to understand is that it is not possible to assume that a political party that has formed a government in a province is any different from the government at the centre of the State, just like it would be impossible to imagine the PTI without Imran Khan. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in Pakistan for a very long time. Political parties in power are considered responsible for the actions and events that take place in their area of governance.

PTI, however, has taken a different approach in this regard with respect to the blockage of NATO supplies. Imran Khan has been heard urging workers and supporters to block Nato supplies, without the consent or approval of the reigning elected government. This departure from the rule has not been accepted very well by the general public and the unruly behaviour of PTI workers with truck drivers didn’t help their cause too much either.

Furthermore, the FIR launched against the recent drone attack in Hangu has failed to mention drones or the US government, as stated by sources. This has, to some extent, very rightly linked PTI’s decision to the fact that the KPK government is being aided very heavily by the United States through various projects being run all over the province and hence, there was a reason behind the US not being mentioned.

This conflict of interest has been highlighted several times over the media. Now, however, reports have been claiming that the FIR may be revised addressing the said concerns, which, if done, will most definitely reflect positively towards the PTI and would explain that the party has been true to its words.

Imran Khan is not someone with whom one can associate diplomacy in the hypocritical sense, be it positive or negative. He has always been a leader who has stood by his word and has converted words into actions. The same again has been done with respect to his announcement of blocking Nato supplies, but the modus operandi chosen has raised many questions.

Like all other issues, lack of consensus is clearly evident among all political parties in this regard and quite sadly, even national security no longer seems like a plausible reason under which the nation unites. Some parties have supported PTI’s decision while others have openly opposed it; there are, however, a few playing the ‘wait and see’ game to decide which side they would feel more comfortable hopping onto. No formal implementation of the decisions taken at the All-Parties’ Conference (APC) have been seen anywhere.

Whatever the case may be, it is high time that every citizen of this country looks deep within oneself to find the patriotic Pakistani hidden inside, and decide, once and for all, what is right for the country.

What I can say, however, is that we most definitely need to move towards a more self-sustained Pakistan so that no external force can ever treat us like paid employees and/or trespass our ideological or physical borders as if it’s a walk in the park.