The threat to democracy

Those who were thrilled by the emergence of the PTI on the political horizon of Pakistan in the wake of the Lahore rally addressed by Imran Khan in 2011, and heralded his entry as a revolutionary third force, feel utterly disappointed by the brand of politics that he has introduced and practised.

Instead of pursuing a revolutionary course that he so vociferously advocated, Imran indulged in traditional power politics, designed to reach the corridors of power by hook or crook. That made him easy prey for anti-democratic forces which used him to dislodge a democratically elected government through the longest ever ‘dharna’ in Islamabad and the most detestable attack on state institutions like parliament and the PTV headquarters. These actions not only earned diplomatic embarrassment for Pakistan but also caused incalculable economic loss to the country.

Thankfully the conspiracy failed to materialise and the expected intervention did not come about. What a shame that Imran’s politics has revolved around incessant U-turns, impulsiveness, and a lack of vision and sense of proportion. His rigging mantra on which he based his campaign to dislodge the PML-N government proved to be the biggest ever ‘political hoax’ in the history of Pakistan.

During the campaign he levelled unsubstantiated allegations against state institutions, the former CJ, ECP, former COAS, a host of high-profile government functionaries, a major media group of the country and the interim CM of Punjab Najam Sethi whom he accused of ‘35 punctures’. In fact the pivot of Imran’s rigging mantra and anti-government campaign was the 35 punctures.

When the government formed the Judicial Commission on his insistence on a probe into the issue of alleged rigging, Imran gave the commitment that he would accept the verdict of the judicial body and withdraw his rigging allegations if his claim of rigging was not corroborated. But when the verdict came, he failed to honour his commitment and continued with the rigging allegations. However, later in an interview with a TV channel he admitted that the allegations of 35 punctures were only political talk.

There could not have been a better example of a politician taking the nation for a ride than his admission publicly that all he did was based on hearsay rather than solid evidence. The reverses that the PTI faced in the by-elections for the NA seats and the local bodies elections were also a ranting testimony of the falsehood of Imran’s claims and the genuineness of the PML-N mandate. Unfortunately, Imran has not acknowledged these realities. His delusional hubris, inflated by the hype created by the media about his popularity did not let him come out of his insistence about the elections having been stolen from him.

Imran’s failure to reach the corridors of power through any way possible and the reverses that his party subsequently faced have added to his frustration and he seems to have lost sense of proportion as well. His statement in the wake of the failed coup in Turkey – that if the army takes over in Pakistan people will distribute sweets – is not what a politician of his calibre should have uttered without comprehending the significance of the event and its relevance to Pakistan.

The statement reflects rather badly on his credentials as a political leader and a proponent of the democratic values. He seems totally out of sync with the turn of events in the country, its history and the will of the people. What he said is tantamount to an invitation to an intervention to dislodge the elected government. This kind of suggestion in the current scenario can only come from someone who adheres to the philosophy of: ‘won’t play and won’t let you play’. No wonder it has drawn the ire of the political circles as well as the independent media. The statement represents a betrayal of the will of the people itself.

Coming in the backdrop of a campaign on social media and through the sudden appearance of posters in major cities of Pakistan and implied suggestions by Sheikh Rashid in his rendezvous with private channels of an impending fall of the government, the statement cannot be treated as emotional binge at the spur of the moment.

This is not the first time that Imran has spoken in this tone and tenor. No amount of clarification can justify this at a time when India is engaged in state terrorism against the people of Kashmir and Pakistan needs the continuation of the democratic system more than ever to consolidate the gains that have been made during the last three years.

One could not agree more with the condemnation of his statement by a daily newspaper in these words “Bizarrely, Imran Khan does not even appear to understand what transpired in Turkey over the weekend. He needs to be told that he is emphatically on the wrong side of history, but that he is positioning himself as a threat to the democratic order itself in Pakistan. Indeed, it is political leaders like Mr Khan who appear to be a persistent threat to the democratic process.”

Though the people of Pakistan have never rebelled against coups, it does not mean that they want them. Khan conveniently forgets that whenever the people of Pakistan have been given the chance to exercise their right of free choice, they have voted for democratic dispensation. And Pakistan was envisioned as a democratic polity by its founding father.

The realisation of the objectives of independence and earning a respectable place in the comity of nations is decidedly dependent on following the course chartered by the Quaid. Any suggestion to the contrary is a recipe for disaster. Therefore, Khan needs to show maturity and get rid of politics of self-aggrandisement if he wants to stay relevant to the political landscape of the country.

It is encouraging to note that the army has made its position clear by saying that it supports democracy and had nothing to do with the poster and social media campaign against the political leadership. Reportedly, the man behind the poster campaign has been arrested. A petition has also been filed in the SC by former president of the PFUJ Afzal Butt under Article 184(3) praying the court to direct the interior ministry to initiate high treason cases against those involved in the campaign.

The writer is a freelance contributor.

Email: ashpak10@gmail.com