It’s not by accident that Imran Khan’s liberal use of U-turns has come to be seen as one of his most defining political characteristics. Imran Khan previously claimed that the US was behind the overthrow of his administration through a “foreign conspiracy,” but the recently leaked – or revealed – Zoom audio conversation between the former prime minister and US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters exposes the fallacy of his assertions. Last year, many had noted that Imran Khan’s foreign conspiracy story was a false flag intended to win over his fans.
Despite there is almost nothing improper about Imran Khan or the PTI asking foreign lawmakers to denounce the PTI’s crackdown, one is left to wonder whether the PTI’s response would have been to automatically label Mian Nawaz Sharif or Asif Zardari as “traitors” had they dared to do the same while the PTI was in power. Let’s not forget that when former deputy speaker Qasim Suri invoked Article 5 during the vote of no-confidence last year, the PTI did in fact brand more than half of the parliament as “traitors.”
It might be asking a lot to demand an apology from a party that has repeatedly called its political rivals, detractors in civil society, human rights advocates, dissident voices, journalists, and media organizations “sellouts” and “traitors.” However, in light of the party’s recent struggles, it may be time for it to reflect on where it went wrong and reconsider some of its choices, including friends, financiers, and storylines. With the PTI now confronting what it used to celebrate before the 2018 elections—arrests and detentions, court cases, members abandoning the party at a crucial time—there is a lot of irony in today’s political optics for many in politics.
Imran Khan is still making strangely contradicting statements that vary depending on the audience, though. The army chief is named and accused of being responsible for his imprisonment one day, and the next he claims to be unaware of the chief’s grievances against him and to have no issue with him. This reminds me of the PTI leader’s earlier use of levity in rally speeches when he would use “Mir Jafar” and “Mir Sadiq” to incite hysteria against his rivals and institutional leaders. His advice was widely disregarded up until this point, but the awful events of May 9 have changed everything.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pointedly addressed the National Assembly on Monday to rebut a tweet by Imran, who claimed that the army commander, who was formerly the director general of the ISI, had not provided him with proof of his wife’s corruption. According to the prime minister, he personally knows that Imran was indeed given this proof. Has Imran learned anything from Pakistan’s shattered history, wonder those who have been reluctant spectators of that nation’s past?
It’s time to ultimately assist lower political fervor, and Imran must take the initiative.
Imran is getting ready to return to court and is ostensibly expecting to be arrested. Political actors do not view their opponents as personal foes and believe in open communication with them. Imran Khan needs to realise that he has obligations not only to himself and his family but also to the countless young people who listen to whatever he says. A piece of advice for the PTI leader would be to think very carefully about his next course of action: “same page” following conflict or political dialogue?
The democratic response is as obvious as day.
