Running a country is not like playing cricket

Imran Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup exactly 30 years back. It was an amazing achievement; and quite rightly the skipper gained instantaneous status as a national hero. The event obviously marked Imran Khan deeply as he continues to think, talk and act as if he is still playing a cricket match. Battling till the last ball, hitting a match-winning sixer, springing a tactical surprise, and fighting like a cornered tiger are images that seem to guide his actions.

But running a country is not like playing a cricket match – there is no team of opponents that needs to be defeated, beaten or humiliated.

Yes, there is an opposition – political parties with different points of view, different histories, and different interest groups who they support and who in turn support them. And yes, when other parties were running the government, there was corruption, inefficiency and mismanagement. And yes, they obstructed Imran Khan’s government at every turn, highlighted mistakes and yelled criticism.

This opposition – be it good, bad or ugly – exists whether Mr Khan likes them or not. And they will not go away. They also represent sections of the people of Pakistan. They may not represent the poor and downtrodden, the youth of the country, or the best and the brightest – groups that Imran Khan thinks are his vote bank. Maybe they represent corrupt bankers, big industrialists and powerful landlords. But to think that these power groups, and their representatives, can be defeated and humiliated and will simply cease to exist is wishful thinking. Labelling them as enemies, traitors and thieves, and refusing to even talk to them, is also foolish at best and destructive at worst.

And yes, there are forces outside the country that try to influence what Pakistan does. Big powers such as the US, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and India have their own agendas vis-a-vis Pakistan. They also have a view of how Pakistan should act and behave in different situations. Given an opportunity, all of them, singly or jointly, will try and influence events. And now with a major war raging in Europe it would be naïve to think that both the US and Russia will not do their best to bring around Pakistan to their point of view. That is what big powers do. And as it happens, Pakistan also does this when it can – as in the case of Afghanistan. So, to be surprised, or to act surprised, when big powers try to interfere in our national affairs is disingenuous.

Furthermore to use as “evidence” a note prepared by a Pakistani diplomat shows complete disregard for the intelligence of others – does the PM really think that if the US had a plot to change the PTI government would they reveal it to a Pakistan ambassador appointed by the PTI government?

Whatever happens in the coming days it is likely the PTI will find itself out of power for at least 6-9 months while new elections are organised. It may be even longer if the new Prime Minister can take the current legislature to its expiry date of August 2023. And what will the Kaptaan Sahib do during this time? Will he carry on as if he is playing a cricket match? Springing surprises and trying to hit sixes? Will he deliver on this threat to make life increasingly difficult for those in power? Will he go back to the role he is most comfortable with – a populist rabble rouser standing on a container posturing as a beacon of righteousness in an evil world; a hero in the war between good and evil; a champion in the battle between a Pakistani David and foreign Goliaths. Will he continue to wave folded pieces of paper at public meetings claiming it is evidence of domestic or foreign plots?

It will be such a pity if Imran Khan chooses this path. His government has failed to deliver on its myriad promises. He has avoided tackling fundamental structural problems such as the poor law and order situation, gender issues, inefficient government spending, and a slow and unpredictable justice and dispute resolution system. With a worsening global political and economic situation, prospects for Pakistan are very challenging. The new government will struggle to keep the economy stable, leave alone show any tangible improvement between now and the new elections. Launching a civil protest movement at this time is the last thing the country needs.

Instead it would be best for the country, as well as for PTI, if they could use this time constructively by going through a process of self-analysis; reviewing their political and economic successes and failures; and putting together an implementable programme to try and accelerate growth and improve development indicators.

They should also not have resigned from the national or provincial assemblies. Instead they should have stayed. They should have brought their policy and programme options to Parliament and have them discussed there, and in the press. This would have helped prepare PTI in the next election.

Doing these things would have helped PTI build on their already formidable strengths that include a country-wide cadre of dedicated workers and the crowd pulling power of Imran Khan, especially among young educated middle class.

Will PTI learn anything from its past mistakes? The first wrong decision to resign from Parliament has already been made. And Khan will most likely carry on in this vein. He will carry on projecting himself as the fighting Kaptaan, the cornered tiger, the only one who can save the country. And very likely many Pakistanis will attend his meetings and rallies. After all, we Pakistanis love nothing more than a good conspiracy, especially one that caters to our sense of victimhood.

Khan is also likely to continue to characterise the bad old USA and the West as villains. He seems to forget that these countries are our largest trading partners and among the largest sources of remittances – the only thing keeping our balance of payments from complete collapse. Continuously banging on them is not going to lead to anything good.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2022.

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