It’s not for nothing that it has become a political fact that one of the most emblematic parts of Imran Khan’s politics has been his liberal use of the U-turn. In the latest case, the recently leaked – or released – Zoom audio talk of the former prime minister with US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters shows the hollowness of Imran Khan’s previous claims that the US was behind his government’s ouster through a ‘foreign conspiracy’. Many had pointed out last year that Imran Khan’s foreign conspiracy narrative was a false flag only to garner sympathy from his supporters. Although there is nothing wrong with Imran Khan or the PTI asking foreign lawmakers to condemn the crackdown against the PTI, one is forced to wonder whether the PTI’s reaction would have been to automatically label Mian Nawaz Sharif or Asif Zardari as ‘traitors’ had they dared to do the same during the PTI’s tenure. Lest we forget, the PTI did indeed label more than half the parliament as ‘traitors’ when Article 5 was invoked by former deputy speaker Qasim Suri during the vote of no-confidence last year.
It may be a lot to expect from a party that has consistently labelled its political opponents, critics in civil society, human rights defenders, dissident voices, journalists and media houses as ‘sellouts’ and ‘traitors’ to apologize to each and every one of its victims. But given the recent trials and tribulations of the party, perhaps it’s time for it to introspect on where it went wrong and rethink some of its choices: of allies, patrons, and narratives. For many in politics, there is a lot of irony in today’s political optics, with the PTI now facing what it used to celebrate before the 2018 elections: arrests and detentions, court cases, members leaving the party at a critical juncture.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan continues to give out oddly contradictory statements, which change per audience. One day he takes the army chief’s name and blames him for his arrest, the next day he says he has no idea what the chief has against him and that he has no problem with the chief. This is reminiscent of the time the PTI chief used to indulge in whimsical rhetoric while on his rally container, using ‘Mir Jafar’ and ‘Mir Sadiq’ to whip up frenzy against both his opponents and institutional heads. Till now, his exhortations were largely ignored but the unfortunate events of May 9 have turned everything around. In a pointed address to the National Assembly on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif refuted a tweet by Imran in which the latter had said that the army chief as former DG ISI had not given him evidence of his wife’s corruption. The prime minister has said that it is in his personal knowledge that such evidence was indeed presented to Imran. Those who have been reluctant observers of Pakistan’s fractured history keep asking one question: has Imran learnt anything from what history offers? And if he has, why does it not show even now? As Imran prepares to appear in court again, and is evidently anticipating an arrest, it is now time to finally help bring the political temperatures down – and Imran has to take the first step. Political players believe in dialogue with their opponents, and do not consider opponents as personal enemies. Imran Khan needs to understand that he has a responsibility not only to himself and his family but to the scores of young people who follow his every word. Some advice to the PTI chief would be to take a long, hard look at his next strategy: ‘same page’ after confrontation or political dialogue? The democratic answer is plain as day.