Conspiracy and its characters

Ever since the launch of the ‘Azadi’ and ‘Inqilab’ marches by Imran and Qadri and the subsequent sit-ins in Islamabad, questions have been raised about the legitimacy, motives and justifications for their undertaking.
To begin with, a full bench of the LHC declared the demands of the PTI and PAT, and their marches, unconstitutional and restrained them from launching their marches in an unconstitutional manner. Among the intelligentsia and some sections of the media it was believed that the joint move by the PTI and PAT against rigging in the elections at such a belated stage was a sequel to a plan hatched in London to destabilise the government.
A former COAS General (r) Mirza Aslam Baig said in an article that “In Pakistan, the phenomenon of long march politics has been witnessed during the regimes of elected governments since 1990. These have basically been exercised to bring about regime change with the help of the army. The present hullabaloo by Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri is one such exercise to achieve political ends. I have a feeling that there may be a hidden politico-ideological agenda behind the movement.”
Later talking to Saleem Safi in the TV programme ‘Jirga’ he accused some former generals and associates of Musharraf to have hatched the conspiracy with the backing of the US, Canada and the UK. These revelations were helpful in putting the statements of Javed Hashmi and the brother of Shah Mahmood Qureshi in proper perspective and reinforcing the truth revealed by them. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s brother had mentioned his brother’s meeting with two former generals in the UAE. According to him, he was invited by Shah Mehmood Qureshi to join him by saying that after two years he (Shah Mehmood) would be the head of PTI as Imran Khan would be dumped by the praetorian powers.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed recently that the two generals who masterminded the whole episode were General (r) Zaheer–ul-Islam and General (r) Pasha. The statement of the minister has affixed a stamp of authenticity on the conspiracy theory. He could not have made this categorical statement without solid proof as any unsubstantiated allegations against generals could have serious repercussions. It seemed a well-thought-out move authorised by the concerned circles.
This gives an incisive insight into how the duo of Imran Khan and Qadri has been used to foment chaos in the country by the traditional anti-democratic forces to implement their nefarious designs. They also show who the elements within PTI were which drove Imran Khan into pushing the country towards political turmoil with a view to creating conditions for military intervention. Ostensibly Imran might have been given to believe that it would lead to his accession to power. He regrettably took the bait and damaged his political career which undoubtedly had made a promising start as indicated by the number of votes polled by the PTI.
Nevertheless, Imran as usual remains stubborn and refuses to accept realities – notwithstanding the validation of the public mandate in the 2013 general elections by the Judicial Commission and authentic evidence about his involvement in the conspiracy to overthrow the government. He also continues to indulge in self-contradictory statements without a grain of remorse and introspection.
Regarding the findings of the Judicial Commission Imran said that he accepted the report of the commission but was saddened by the fact that it left the job unfinished. He still had the audacity to claim that the elections were rigged. It was indeed a self-contradictory stance. Then in another press conference recently he took another somersault on the issue and said that the JC report was a victory for the PTI. Any person with a little bit of common sense can figure out the confusion and lack of clarity that Imran is plagued with.
In the wake of the latest revelations made by the defence minister regarding the characters behind the conspiracy, demands are being made to have the issue investigated. Altaf Hussain and Javed Hashmi took the lead in demanding a thorough probe. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif also joined the chorus by saying that a parliamentary commission may be constituted to determine who played what role in the conspiracy. Even Imran Khan has said that an inquiry commission should be constituted, saying that he would leave politics if the conspiracy was established.
However, there are strong indications that the government, particularly the prime minister, is in favour of letting bygones be bygones and moving forward by focusing on more pressing issues at hand. The prime minister has adopted a very pragmatic and visionary approach in resisting the bait. The revelations made about the conspiracy are enough to degrade those names in the eyes of the public.
Now that the country has been resurrected from possible political mayhem – courtesy the solidarity shown by the political forces and the blessing of the present COAS – it is time to move on. Even otherwise trying generals seems a distant possibility as is evident from the trial of General (r) Musharraf. Maybe it will be possible when democracy gains strength and the political leadership is able to demonstrate the will, honesty of purpose and capability to wrest back the encroached civilian territory from the military establishment.
Keeping the PTI in parliament and allowing it to be part of the system instead of being vindictive and pushing it to the wall is beyond any reproach in the obtaining circumstances. The efforts made by the PML-N government and other major political forces to resolve the issue of motions presented by the MQM and the JUI-F regarding de-seating of PTI MNAs were a laudable step to end the political wrangling.
The country needs impregnable unity among all the political forces and segments of society to ward off the dangers lurking on its horizon. It cannot afford any distractions from avowed national causes of fighting terrorism, religious extremism and fixing the maladies afflicting our economic system. This requires rift-free relations between the civil and military leadership.
It is satisfying to note that Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the National Action Plan devised through national consensus have achieved tremendous success. North Waziristan has almost been cleared of the terrorist outfits.
There is a visible improvement in the law and order situation in the country. Karachi and Balochistan are on their way back to normalcy and terrorist and banned organisations are also being taken on in Punjab. The imperative of continuing with these operations with unswerving determination and unity of thought in a smooth and peaceful political environment can hardly be over-emphasised.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
Email: ashpak10@gmail.com