IK: from moral absolutism to political pragmatism

During a TV interview once, the interviewer told Imran Khan that General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, the then President, thought he was not pragmatic enough to be a politician. Khan laughed condescendingly, rhetorically asking “who is more pragmatic than a prostitute?”

That was a time when PTI had no parliamentary presence and the only face recognisable in the party was that of Khan himself. PTI would normally remain absent from any serious political conversation. The few mentions the party used to get were characterised by its leader’s apparent naivety. For a considerable part of his political life, the only thing Khan had to hold on to was his abstract idealism in the face of a dim political future.

To his credit, while many wrote him off as a serious political contender, Khan managed to sustain a small share of spotlight over the years. But, being a TV protagonist and a viable political player are two different things and Khan took his sweet time realising about that difference. When he opened the doors of his party to a plethora of infamous ‘electables’ after his first major rally in Lahore five years ago, it showed a progression from moral absolutism that Khan had been trying to find a place for in a rather compromised political zeitgeist. While choice of his political team had evolved, the stubbornness of his political ideals remained immutable as ever. This became clear when he led his followers to a four-month long sit-in.

Khan reiterated every day till the Peshawar attack, that the sit-in would continue till the resignation of the Prime Minister. His approach met a lot of political opposition but he remained undeterred. Even the intervention of the Army Chief could not make him change his mind. This kind of absolutism in politics can act like a double-edged sword. While on one hand, it sets you apart from the usual, sufficiently pragmatic and hence compromised lot, on the other it runs you out of political options and tends to turn the outcomes of your political adventures only in the binary of success or failure. The anti-climatic wrap-up of Khan’s previous sit-in was a consequence of the latter.

But, this time the skipper seems to be in for a different ball-game; one he is not known for at all. That is why when Imran Khan called off his call to lock down the capital following the judicial intervention in the Panama scandal, it took many by surprise. The unexpected restraint from Khan was met with severe criticism from within and outside of his party. His charged supporters expressed dejection over his decision while his opponents found yet another chance to call him names.

But, in a first, Khan seemed to have played a master-stroke in many ways. The Supreme Court’s intervention has enabled the establishment of a judicial commission that the government had been stalling so far. It also means that the PTI will have its due say in determining the TORs of the investigation which will likely include probing the financials of the Prime Minister himself; potentially allowing the opposition to blow dirt on Nawaz Sharif more fervently than ever. And, more than everything else, it allows Khan to keep his options open.

Even if the outcome of the inquiry does not turn out to be as willed by him, the proceedings would be sufficient enough for Khan to continue his public campaign of antagonising Nawaz Sharif.

While it may have come at the cost of disagreement, and possibly, disillusionment of some of his supporters, Khan has in fact shown some unprecedented political foresight.

It has been one wobbly ride for the PTI chief from moral absolutism to political pragmatism. He seems to have learnt that in practising the art of the possible, that is politics, paving way for the latter demands overlooking the former for some time. The political mileage one gets from this approach can allow one to achieve desired ends more efficiently.

Those who used to criticise Imran Khan for not being well-suited for the Pakistani politics did not entirely have their criticism without merit. Our political culture, as it stands now, demands one to be shrewd in certain ways. To be able to make and break as required. To take a step back when needed and two forward when possible. And, Khan is ready to do that now.

Politics is a dirty game, it is often repeated. Whether Khan is fully prepared to make his hands dirty, is yet to be seen. But, he has certainly taken his gloves off.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2016.

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