No Imran Khan, you haven’t ‘won’ yet

As the clouds of smoke, dust and teargas recede, what looms into view is a picture of aggression and lawlessness that spells ‘victory’ for nobody. Maybe Mr Khan lost, but lesser than others did.

Imran Khan has made repeated claims over the past few days of his party winning, which leaves one wondering what ‘victory’ really means to him.

It’s important for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to not let its supporters be demoralised, and maintain faith in their rebel-leader. Yes, rebel-leader, which can be taken either pejoratively or as a term of endearment, as the reader sees fit. Khan has achieved this with a generous dose of rhetoric periodically doled out to the hungry, exhausted crowds in the red-zone.

It is worth noting that never in the history of Pakistan have we had elections or referendums untainted by rigging allegations, nor have we ever appointed a government lauded for its flawlessly fair and violence-free tenure.

It is also not unprecedented for the government to use teargas on protesters, although it sparked far less outrage when activists protesting the missing Baloch persons had these canisters hissing at their feet. Those guys can take it.

This time around, our standards are (maybe for good reasons) much higher. We want nearly unlimited mobility in the nation’s capital for a crowd of thousands; sometimes armed with large sticks, slingshots, hammers, and the works. And if we could just harangue a democratically elected government to resign, without the rigorous judicial process such reforms require, that’d be just perfect.

Never mind PTI’s sizzling internal conflicts, leading to the dismissal of its president from the party. Never mind the injuries sustained by scores of Khan’s own followers and many police officers in the conflict that broke out.

Maybe it would make sense to a PTI activist to grin for the cameras and flash a proud V-sign with his/her fingers, but I find it hard to smile back.

Upon seeing the protesters storming the capital Secretariat and the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) office, it has done little to bolster his movement’s image either. These attackers may not have had Imran Khan’s approval, but one cannot march thousands of fervid people into one of the country’s most sensitive locations, and then absolutely refuse to take any responsibility for the pandemonium that may ensue.

PTI’s source of elation is the myth that they have the backing of the Pakistani nation. He touts ‘awam ki taaqat’ (people’s power) as his weapon. The last time I checked, I’m ‘awam’ too, and I don’t recall authorising him to speak for me; or on behalf of millions of others Pakistani citizens who do not support his movement. Both, the elections and the latest Pew Research Center survey, indicate he only speaks for a fraction of the nation.

At this chaotic moment in history, it’s quite daring for any political leader to declare himself a winner. And if so, perhaps we should save the victory speech for until the flames have died down and the wounds have stopped bleeding.