Imran Khan and Gen Bajwa — coins and sides

Imran Khan and PTI’s direct and indirect acquiescence on Army-bashing makes Imran Khan a highly controversial leader

The national discourse is disappointingly substandard. The leadership sadly wanting in all faculties of head and heart. The government machinery afflicted with apathy and denial; and the lust for power, protocol and paisa too evident among politicians of all shades and colours. In this mode of sleep-walking into an entirely avoidable disaster of our own making, the say-able needs to be said and said loudly, because the fat egos of stakeholders are affecting the state of union of this revered country, for which too many struggled for too long with blood, sweat and toil. Although this enterprise called Pakistan would stand and come out strong from this crisis, the process has and would expose many as the clothes are coming off.

First, the epoch-making Imran Khan. Everyday IK, the star leader of contemporary Pakistan, fires salvos at Gen Bajwa, the discredited Army Chief, in an effort to stay relevant by sensationalising his own inadequacies. In the litany of accusations, he claims Gen Bajwa “conspired with his political opponents to remove him from office with help from the US”, as stated in a February 11, 2023 interview to Voice of America. Later in the interview he retracts and squarely blames Gen Bajwa for his ordeal saying “it wasn’t the US who told Pakistan [to oust me]. It was unfortunately, from what evidence has come up, Gen Bajwa who somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-American.” The ouster plan “wasn’t imported from there. It was exported from here to there”. In this confused word play, he construes that the Cipher quoting Donald Lu, is American part of the sazish (conspiracy) bordering mudakhilat (intervention). Later, after saber-rattling, he endears himself to the US by promising better relations with the Superpower, if he returns to power.

On the critical issue of negotiations with TTP, he defends his government’s stance, citing the resettlement of about 30,000 to 40,000 Talibs along with their families on return to Pakistan as an alternative plan to overcome TTP terrorism. Confusingly asserting this “resettlement had to be done with the concurrence of the politicians of all along the border, the FATA [tribal] region, and along with the security forces, plus, the TTP.” And then he blames his government’s ouster for not implementing the plan (thankfully), as “the new government took its eye off the ball.” He holds Pakistan’s security forces and intelligence agencies responsible for TTP’s regrouping, and their ‘negligence’ for TTP’s re-entry, while, curiously, he is still the Prime Minister, conveniently avoiding any responsibility.

Imran Khan agrees that “Military [in Pakistan] means one man, the army chief.” If so, then he willfully criticised the Military and continues to do so. Although there is a fine line between the leader(s) and the led during crises. He goes on that after being on the one page with Gen Bajwa, the problem occurred when “Gen Bajwa favoured some of the biggest crooks in this country, and he did not think corruption was a big problem, and he wanted us (PTI) to work with them.” He asserts that he did not have the real authority, as it rested with the Army Chief. He, therefore, absolves himself from any responsibility for lack of delivery and governance, but curiously takes credit for successes — few and far between — like fighting the Covid-19.

This interview demonstrates the personality of a popular leader (without any emotive leanings) who, set in his own make-believe world, sees things through his own narrow prism. Although woefully inexperienced, he still acts on his intuitions rather than through institutions; sticks to power for ‘known’ reasons rather than quitting on principles; gives an extension to the riled Army Chief; flip-flops during decision-making; at 72 makes silly mistakes; and above all, never takes responsibility always scapegoating others for his own shortcomings and failures. And this is a crucial moral failing, to say the least.

Without any love-lost for his benefactor-turned-nemesis, Gen Bajwa, after what he did to every self-respecting soldier and veteran, causing irreparable damage to the reputation of the Armed Forces particularly the Army under his watch, some fact-checking seems in order to keep the record straight.

It is an open secret that IK was eased into power sequel to 2018 elections earning him the infamy of ‘selected’, consequent to ‘failure’ of the tested alternatives of PML-N and PPP, for their perceived and proven corruption. Three milestones among a long list tore the single-page IK shared with Gen Bajwa. Extension to Gen Bajwa, removal of Gen Faiz Hamid from ISI to Peshawar Corps, and the misgovernance and poor state of national economy. Truth be told, the vote of no-confidence was entirely within the ambit of law and constitution. IK lost because he could not muster enough numbers in the parliament, pure and simple, without getting into the ‘ifs and buts’ of political circus that marred the holy month of Ramadan 2022.

But IK and PTI’s direct and indirect acquiescence on Army-bashing mainly by the PTI’s youth brigade, at the scale and magnitude that has been witnessed and continues unabated to this day, makes IK a highly controversial leader. Although PTI rank and file quickly draw comparison with similar anti-Army vitriol by some in PML-N and PPP, the PTI-sponsored and encouraged slander far outweighs both these parties combined. The media-savvy PTI-generated narrative is more poisonous, more scathing, more pointed, more direct, wider ranging due to social media, and affects all having any association with the Military. And in continuing with this mode without weighing the costs, IK betrays his confrontational and impulse-driven predilections. By following Gandhi-style agitational politics, he eclipses the constitutional politics of Jinnah, Pakistan and his role model. His rants like ‘absolutely not’, haqeeqi azadi, and obsession with corruption, that he ‘absolutely’ could not root out in his over three years in power, are at best political gimmicks that may get him votes, but would fail him if not backed by coherent plans. Pakistan needs a leader to steady the ship and heal the nation, not divide it.

By shunning compromise and not sitting with the ‘corrupt’, as if waiting for angels instead; and by criticising the Army in public, while desperately seeking patronage behind closed doors, he does not seem as principled as he claims. Hence, in one’s reckoning, he will be a bad choice again, due to his combative style and inherent contradictions unless he becomes rahbar-e-tahreek leaving governance in capable hands. But ironically PTI minus-Imran is just a crowd. (To be continued)

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2023.

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