Shifting sands

At the 263rd Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) with COAS General Syed Asim Munir in the chair on Tuesday, the army top brass expressed dismay over allegations of interference and resolved that the planners, instigators and desecrators involved in the May 9 riots would certainly be brought to justice. Interestingly, PTI founder Imran Khan has backed the army’s stance regarding May 9, saying in a statement that he endorses the declaration of the CCC and that those involved in the May 9 incidents should be punished severely. Imran has also said that the PTI is not anti-army and does not want a clash with the forces. His statement is being seen by some as a reconciliatory approach – though there is also past history of Imran having made such statements and then done an about-turn shortly after.

Whatever the case may be, Imran Khan is many things but naive about the role played by the unelected in Pakistan’s political realm. He knows that nothing is permanent in Pakistan’s politics and that the power structures have forgiven those they had reportedly put a ‘cross’ on like PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif or the PPP leadership. There is also a sense that the PTI founder now wants the same power structures to move on and bring him back to power. This could explain his strategy of being aggressive, bringing hawkish elements like Gandapur forward, giving tickets to May 9 accused, and telling his supporters to go out on the streets to show that the people are with him. And his voters have indeed shown their support for him on election day.

Political observers see Imran’s strategy as a way to get back in favour. However, judging by the messaging over the past few months, it does not seem that the May 9 riots will be as easily forgotten as perhaps the PTI may like to believe they can be. If that is indeed the case, then all may not be well for Imran Khan and his party. There is however also one big elephant everyone in power seems to be ignoring: Imran’s narrative has not died down. This could be because he has legitimately caught the people’s imagination, along with how this time with Imran in the hot seat both the media and the judiciary are not biased against him. We have repeated this many times in this place: the only solution to Pakistan’s political crisis is dialogue. But this should be a dialogue between equal political classes – not between a political party and an institutional power. How much more before our political class – especially Imran Khan – recognizes this?