Investigating the ‘letter’

Conspiracy theory is our most thriving industry. That is probably what the PTI government and former prime minister Imran Khan were banking on when they chose to go public with an unsubstantiated charge of a foreign power (the US) colluding with politicians in Pakistan to overthrow Imran Khan. This cynical use of Foreign Office correspondence for domestic political purposes could have consequences that even the PTI may not have thought of. Now that the new government has taken over, it is important that this cable or ‘letter’ must immediately be investigated properly so that the matter is laid to rest once and for all. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already announced an in-camera briefing of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to discuss the contents of the cable, which taints the new government and its coalition partners with allegations of disloyalty to the state. The PTI has rejected this briefing. But it is important to correct the course.

Diplomacy and domestic politics may be related but should remain separate, and a crisis in one must not entangle the other. The way the PTI and Imran Khan handled the cable/letter has put our Foreign Office in an awkward position. Our diplomats have come under tremendous strain after this controversy and any more political exposure of diplomacy in the public domain is likely to have an adverse impact on our diplomatic corps serving in foreign countries. The US is a significant power internationally and Pakistan has had a long association with it. Irrespective of the merits and demerits of these relations, it is also one of the biggest trade partners of Pakistan. To directly name a country and allege regime intervention, without showing any proof of such accusation, is bound to affect ties not just with that country but with other states too. It is strange that a sitting government did not understand that undermining Pakistan’s foreign relations is bad politics and bad diplomacy.

On probably a far more alarming front is how this attempt to capitalize on this issue by building a public narrative of anti-Americanism can backfire and lead to even more toxicity in society. This is not only the matter of naming another country – which of course is also not something a mature government would do – but of effectively placing a moving target on the backs of nearly 200 parliamentarians who now stand accused of being traitors. The fact that institutions have also been added to the mix by overzealous supporters makes this an extremely volatile situation. This narrative of any party that stood against the PTI being sellouts has been bought by PTI supporters. With street protests planned, and a history of going after political opponents in even non-political spaces, we seem to be in for violent clashes if this matter is not handled immediately. This is why this cable or letter must be investigated thoroughly and its findings made public so people have a clear idea and timeline of what transpired. In this, Pakistan’s security apparatus will also need to clarify just what level of ‘threat’ there was. That may be the only way to calm down supporters whose protests can quickly unravel into something far more dire.