It’s walk the talk time for Khan

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan made an impressive victory speech after said to be highly controversial 2018 elections, sounded reconciliatory towards opposition, assured introducing good governance and promised corruption free Pakistan besides other revolutionary measures to change the fate of the nation.

However, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to walk the talk. Soon after emerging triumphant in the election, Imran Khan’s personal conduct and his public actions will now be under strict scrutiny. What he has, however, promised in his speech has been greatly ignored or violated in KP where Khan’s PTI ruled during the last five years. His immediate challenge is the formation of PTI governments at the Centre and in Punjab where his party emerged as the largest but he is still short of numbers to form governments in Islamabad and Lahore.

He though considers the 2018 elections as fair, there has been a lot of hue and cry both inside Pakistan and outside about the pre-poll rigging and political engineering in favour of Imran’s PTI. The polling day’s final part of vote counting and result tabulation was scandalous whether due to Election Commission’s mismanagement or the alleged rigging.

It is good that Imran Khan is willing to probe the rigging charges. However, it will be interesting to see how will he react if any effort is made to create forward blocs in PML-N in the National Assembly as well as the Punjab Assembly to help PTI form secure governments in both places.

The PTI despite having won around 120 seats at the Centre and the same number in the Punjab Assembly needs some solid partners to help form sustainable coalition governments in Islamabad and Lahore. The PTI has to win over all independent MNAs and MPAs(in Punjab) besides including some smaller parties to form governments at the Centre and in Punjab.

In view of the present party position in the National Assembly, the PML-N and PPP leave fewer but tough options for the PTI to avail. If all the independents join the government, the PTI would still need a support of smaller parties to form the government in Islamabad. The options are like wooing parties like PML-Q, MQM, GDA, BNP OR MMA.

If the PTI does not get the required number of independents and smaller parties as coalition partners then a possible forward bloc of PML-N could work well for the PTI. In the Punjab Assembly, the PMLN and PTI are going neck to neck. The number of independents in Punjab is around 25 but in the given situation where the PMLN and PTI have almost 120 seats each, any of the two political parties intending to form government will require at least 149 MPs to form government in Punjab.

Here too the options are tough for both the political parties to form the government but the PML-N is vulnerable to produce a forward bloc. There are fears that NAB or some other institution may be used to form forward blocs in PML-N, both at the Centre and in Punjab, to serve the PTI’s political interests and save the party from possible future blackmails of the smaller parties, joining the coalition, and independents.

It will be interesting to see how will Imran Khan react to such a situation where an opposition political party is divided to create forward bloc to support pti government.

His most favorite pastime of leveling baseless allegations against others is also over. It is encouraging to see him say that he has forgotten all that has been said against him. However, it would have been far better if he had also apologized from all variety of people from politics to media, judiciary and bureaucracy against whom he has been leveling ludicrous allegations all during the last five years.

Khan promised to introduce austerity and promote simplicity in the rulers’ life style, and ensured that there would be respect for the taxpayers’ money durind his rule. He said that he feels shame even of thinking to shift to PM’s House, and committed that the PM House as well as the Governors’ and CMs’ Houses in the provinces will also be used for greater public good.

However, he ignored to promise the same in case of palatial official residences being used by senior members of the civil and military bureaucracy all around the country. It will be a real test of rule of law for Imran Khan. Khan, however, did not tell the nation what he had done with the CM House in KP?

He has been thoroughly enjoying the NAB’s selective accountability and witch-hunting against his opponents during the recent years. Now, his future position expected from him to be fair to all including his opponents for which he needs to review the Bureau’s performance and past record dispassionately to ensure that in the name of accountability no innocent is humiliated, harmed and victimised.

Imran Khan claims to be a Mr Clean. He also promised a clean government but his PTI has no dearth of tainted leaders, some of whom are seen surrounding him all the time. Whom will he induct in his cabinet and who will be given the slots in the Punjab government, will set the tone and reflect on Khan’s real intend.