Who is responsible for PTI’s failure?

Who is responsible for the major fiasco as a result of the final outcome of the Judicial Commission’s report, which is causing embarrassment to the PTI? Chairman Imran Khan himself, central leader Jehangir Tareen or the team of lawyers who fought the case?
The PTI clearly stands divided and internal differences have now come on the surface. Is Tareen, the man who is facing severe criticism, on his way out or another veteran Hamid Khan is likely to become another Javed Hashmi or will it be “business as usual? The captain has a big task ahead.
Imran’s arbitrary decisions in the last two years have a lot to do of what happened in 126-day dharna. Some of his decisions had even surprised majority of the party leaders on the “container.”
His strange relationship with and faith in Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has also been questioned even at the highest forum in the party. He once almost faced a “censure motion” when withouttaking party into confidence he went to the public meeting of Sheikh Rasheed.
Imran’s second blunder was the manner in which he at times by-passed the party’s high command. Some very close aides to the chairman disclosed that the decision of the PM’s resignation prior to the JC and the decision to go on “civil disobedience” movement were his own and the party later endorsed it, but with reservations.
Imran’s third blunder was his decision to go to close to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek led by Dr. Tahirul Qadri.“Imran took head-on without preparation and as a result caused a self-inflicted injury,” comment one party leader on condition of anonymity.
It was in the August 16 meeting of the PTI Core Committee that one senior leader said the chairman was getting wrong advices from five to six leaders and he had also named them. It was in the same meeting that he was told to stay away from Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad.
Earlier, in April 2014 meeting, which discussed the possible scenario, the party decided to hold a public meeting on May 11 and announced a movement against rigging. The advice came from PTI’s Karachi leader Firdos Naqvi.
However, when the party decided to go ahead with “dharna” till the fall of the government, leaders like Arif Alvi, Shafqat Mahmood, Hamid Khan and even Naimul Haq were not sure about the outcome, but they opposed resignation from the National Assembly.
Some of them were of view that even if the government fell and mid-term elections were held, the PML-N would win again, as elections would be held under the same Election Commission and the PM and the leader of the opposition would decide about the interim setup as per the Constitution.In the end, Imran’s decision prevailed and the PTI went ahead for the “Long March” from Lahore to Islamabad, without preparing for the final outcome.
Imran again committed blunder when he decided that the party MNAs should quit the assemblies but retained the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Assembly. He rejected the majority views that losing a parliamentary forum could cause disaster.
Imran faced tough opposition from party’s former president Javed Hashmi, who suspected Imran’s closeness with Sheikh Rasheed and Tahirul Qadri. Many party leaders agreed with Hashmi, but because Imran’s nature did not back him.
What happened on August 14, storming of Parliament House, practically divided the party into two clear camps.There is a view within the party that the PTI and Imran had fallen in a “trap” and the PTI would have been blamed had there been martial law as a result of attack on Parliament.
What was the reason for the outburst of Hamid Khan, backed by some senior party leaders, who may now want a serious debate in the party’s central committee, as to who is responsible for the who fiasco which has now put the PTI in pre-2013 position.
Why Hamid Khan is so critical of the role of Jehangir Tareen, whereas his own differences with Imran started when he had asked him to tender an apology in contempt case to the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Hamid told Imran that the former CJP could convict him in contempt if he did not withdraw or regret his statement against Chaudhry. Though Imran accepted Hamid’s advice, he was not happy with the senior lawyer.
Jehangir Tareen’s role during “dharna” and in the formation of Judicial Commission also came under criticism. Besides, some of the alleged secret meetings of the two with certain elements within the establishment also raised questions within the party.
Imran, has publicly defended the role of his legal team (which does not include Hamid Khan), and still has faith in Tareen, the man considered closest to him along with Naimul Haq and three others.
It is also not for the first time that Mr. Tareen’s role been seen in the party as “controversial.” Some insiders believe that in the past some ministers and local leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were sidelined after they raised questions about Tareen’s alleged involvement in a project in the KP. Shoukat Yousafzai even lost his ministry after he complained about certain party leaders’ “controversial” role.
Jehangir Tareen also came under criticism during the party’s election. Yet, despite the report of the PTI’s Election Tribunal asking for the sacking of Tareen, Imran disbanded the tribunal and embarrassed senior party leader Justice (retired) Wajeehuddin Ahmad.
Why Imran preferred Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Ishaq Khakwani and now Babar Awan over people like Hamid Khan and Justice Wajeehuddin? Why Hamid’s advice not to accuse Iftikhar Chaudhry or Najam Sethi was ignored?
So, Hamid Khan, who has been practically sidelined since the day he took a position against Imran’s repeated attacks on the former CJP is unlikely to get a favorable response from the chairman over Jehangir Tareen, considered as the richest leader in the PTI.
But, Imran also did not want to lose Hamid after his successful legal fight in NA-122 against Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq. What Imran needs to understand is that Hamid won the case (though an appeal is pending with the SC) because he fought the case on legal grounds and did not make it a political issue.
Imran and Jehangir Tareen are yet to get decisions in their respective cases, something which has frustrated the both.So, what is the major task ahead for Imran before the local bodies elections in the Punjab and Sindh scheduled for September 20? Can he keep the party united?
What is the future of Hamid Khan and leaders like him in the PTI? Pakistani politics revolves round romance and charisma, which in the PTI case also gave edge to Imran over others despite the fact that the outcome of the JC report was his failure along with people like Tareen or Sheikh Rasheed.
Imran has been the PTI chairman since its birth and may continue to remain as long as the party is there. Therefore, the status quo in the PTI will continue for a very long time. Imran needs to learn lesson from the fall of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When in need, ZAB did not have committed leaders around who had joined the party because of its ideology and remained committed when the party could not win a single seat. Those who had joined the party after October 11, 2011 may not have joined him on the basis of commitment.
The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang.