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OPINION JUNE 02, 2023 | The Indian Eye 10

Political Turmoil in Pakistan

Raises More Questions

Than Answers

The culture of insolence that Imran Khan has unleashed and normalized in Pakistan has taken civility away
from Pakistani politics. Unfortunately, he seems to be dictating the terms of political discourse today

ASHOK K. BEHURIA

akistan continues to surprise
everybody with its politics.
POver the years, in the name
of hybrid democracy, it has grown
highly competitive institutions, each
trying to overtake the other in the
race for power, mostly stretching the
limits set on them by the Constitu-
tion and operating according to the
letter and not the spirit of the con-
stitutional provisions. The spirit of
accommodation, which is central to
democratic politics, is almost absent
in the country. All losers are bad los-
ers and winners want to take it all!
As Pakistan moves from one
crisis to another, it is surprising that
rather than putting pressure on their
leaders to behave, the people are
participating in the ongoing inter-in-
stitutional war with aplomb, as if it is
a festival of some sort. Interestingly,
this time around, the principal archi-
tect of Pakistani politics, the power-
ful military, is finding it difficult to The popularity he commands has spoilt Imran, and he has developed a ‘God complex’ many Pakistani observers would say (File photo)
wade through the sludge it has cre-
ated itself. In the military’s decline, marked by compassion, forgiveness using his power to tame the media was invincible. It is also a lesson in
however, there is no reason to cheer, and pragmatism. and put his opponents behind bars, Pakistani politics that popularity that
because the country is faced with However, Imran had none of misusing National Accountability Imran acquired could be engineered
an acute economic crisis buffeted these principles guiding him during Bureau (NAB). In the process, he by the military in tandem with the ju-
by years of imprudent fiscal policies his prime ministership. He would devoted less time bringing about diciary, as they went on undermining
and worsened by four years of mis- continue to be his petulant, restless, the change (tabdeeli) that he had the then government of Nawaz Sharif.
rule by Imran Khan. mercurial self, always given to petty claimed and promised he would With rising popularity, which
At the centre of the poly-crises bickering with his political oppo- bring in, after coming to power. He he has sustained till now, Imran has
is the septuagenarian Imran Khan. nents, levelling high decibel accu- appeared high-handed and suscepti- emerged as a cult-figure. But this has
Ever since his party was backed by sations against them, calling them ble to sycophancy. come after careful manipulation of
the army as a third pole in Paki- ‘Thieves’ and ‘Robbers’ (Chors and Backed by the military and the Pakistani politics by the deep state of
stani politics, he was thrown up as Dakoos), rather than enabling a judiciary of Pakistan—both of which Pakistan. As a cricketer, he was pop-
a non-corrupt and non-corruptible culture of reconciliation that Ria- had together curated Pakistani pol- ular, but he was a big failure in poli-
philanthrope who would work to- sat-e-Medina stood for. He chose to itics during 2011–2018, disqualify- tics. For about 15 years (1996–2011)
wards a Naya Pakistan, based on a forget that the ‘electables’ who filled ing Nawaz Sharif, launching Teh- Imran was in a political wilderness,
throw-back to Riasat-e-Medina, the the ranks of his party, Pakistan Teh- reek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to unable to make his mark. With the
system that Prophet Muhammad reek-i-Insaf (PTI) were picked from destabilize his government and en- army on his side, the media nudged
had developed during his stay in ex- the very parties he was labelling as abling Imran Khan’s mega-marches to favor him, and his rallies allowed
ile (622–629 AD), a system that was corrupt. He mis-spent his tenure on Islamabad—Imran thought he Continued on next page... >>

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