Command and control

PTI chief may find the going tougher than anticipated when the time actually comes to put his words into action.

Imran Khan is widely believed by many, especially his critics and detractors, to be supported by the establishment. Certainly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is sure that the ISI helped in the success of PTI’s rally and has said that he is willing to present evidence of this before parliament. For the first time, this notion has been rejected by the PTI chief in clear-cut terms. In an interview with a foreign TV channel, Imran, true to character, has asserted he would never allow anyone to control him, and that instead the chief of army staff and also the ISI would be answerable to him, should he be elected head of government. This is certainly a welcome assertion, given the rumours doing the rounds. It also falls in line with a comment made by the PTI chief to this newspaper that the army would never be able to move in, provided the civilian government acted with competence. The position taken by Imran Khan is now out in the open and it has to be said that, for all his other flaws, he has credibility — certainly more credibility than that enjoyed by most of our political leaders.

For these reasons, we would like to believe that he intends to do what he says; that he would genuinely like to be in command of his own ship and, in the hypothetical situation that he assumes power, have all others playing a role in the running of the state follow his directions. Imran is, of course, right when he says this is how things should be. The question is whether this can truly be the case. Successive governments have struggled to control the army, with its history of a hold on power — either directly or from behind a curtain that veils its actions to some degree. The ISI, which over the years has grown multiple tentacles that reach into virtually every nook and cranny of state, is in many ways even harder to manage. Indeed, there is some doubt if it is controlled by anyone at all, or if it has split into different groups with a life of their own. If the PTI chief can do what he says he intends to, it would be a huge achievement because that is how institutions should work in a truly functioning democracy. But he may find the going tougher than anticipated when the time actually comes to put his words into action.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th,  2011.