Asif Mahmood
Every time a window appears to open for Imran Khan’s release, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf finds a way to slam it shut. One is compelled to ask a painful question: does the party truly want its leader freed? If this pattern continues, it may not be surprising if Khan’s supporters are eventually forced to launch a new movement with a startling slogan: save Imran Khan from his own party.
Politics is a game of sun and shade. When one path closes, others can emerge. But that requires prudence, political maturity, and strategic foresight. Unfortunately, PTI appears to treat political wisdom as a personal enemy. Over time, it has surrendered serious political deliberation to chaos, spectacle, and digital agitation.
Perhaps no other political party in the world has so thoroughly turned its workers into fuel for professional YouTubers. These content creators ignite fires and earn dollars, while PTI’s rank and file are consumed in the frenzy. In the dust storm of outrage and monetized anger, sober voices have become strangers. Those within the party who possessed political understanding were humiliated. Anyone who spoke of restraint was branded a traitor. The party narrative is no longer shaped by its political leadership but by algorithm driven outrage merchants. Ratings reward hysteria, hostility, and anti state rhetoric. Measured language earns abuse.
Circumstances may have imposed some constraints, but far greater damage has come from self inflicted blindness. One by one, serious political figures were pushed to the margins. In their place emerged loud, reckless voices indifferent to dignity, civility, or consequence. Abusive language became policy. The strategy was simple: silence dissent through intimidation and character assassination. No one seemed willing to explain that vulgarity is not a political program. It produces reaction, not resolution.
The result has been devastating. PTI’s narrative has become synonymous with agitation, exaggeration, misinformation, and invective. While some have profited financially or politically, the party itself has been reduced to the image of an unruly faction. This was not the PTI many once admired. In the marketplace of anger, its moral capital melted like ice under the sun.
Within this environment, credibility came only through provocation. Those unwilling to master the art of incitement chose silence. Decision making ceased to be reflective or strategic. Instead, it became reactive to whatever inflammatory narrative trended online. This moral distortion is now celebrated within certain circles as political consciousness.
The logical consequence is visible. A dozen lawyers enhanced their reputations in Khan’s name. Some advanced to parliament. Others strengthened their practices. YouTubers prospered. Yet Imran Khan remains behind bars.
There exists a group whose economy depends upon perpetual crisis. For them, de escalation is bad business. But the reality is stark: without reducing the temperature of confrontation, Khan’s release appears increasingly unlikely.
At least two clear opportunities for meaningful progress were squandered. In November 2024, following Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States, there were indications that backchannel efforts were underway to resolve matters before any external pressure could complicate the situation. Instead, PTI launched a march toward Islamabad on November 26. Reports suggest that Khan himself advised restraint beyond Sangjani and that Ali Amin Gandapur echoed caution. Yet crisis driven thinking prevailed. Negotiations might have opened prison doors. A theatrical show of force could not.
A second moment emerged when news surfaced regarding Khan’s eye treatment. For a brief period, his release appeared almost certain. Optimism was so strong that congratulatory messages circulated. Then, inexplicably, highways and motorways were blocked. A matter that might have been settled through dialogue became entangled in confrontation. Roads reopened. Traffic resumed. Imran Khan remained in jail.
It is not too late. Those within PTI who possess experience and political understanding must step forward. The party must reclaim its narrative from the digital mob and return it to responsible leadership. Dialogue, not invasion, is the language of politics. Grandstanding may produce viral clips, but it does not open prison gates.
Politics has the capacity to carve a path even through dead ends. And outside every prison, there is always a door.