Imran made the mistake of revolting against his creator

 By Francesca Marino, April 3, 2022, Times of India

Make no mistake, what Imran Khan is really trying to do today is convince his puppeteers to give him another chance. As he frantically tries to cling on to power, the contrast is glaring to what he had said during his Azadi March in August 2014: “If people like you had said "Go Imran Go" with such passion I would have resigned and gone to re-election immediately if I am man of honor” said Imran Khan during his Azadi March in August 2014. 

But of course, we know from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar what 'men of honor' do and also how they usually end up. Elected in 2018 with what people considered being “the most rigged” elections in Pakistani history Khan, who's political carrier has been boosted by the late General Hamid Gul and other ISI and Army prominent ranks, had been carefully selected and trained for the job, a job he seemed quite happy to do the way he had been told. Imran, unlike other prime ministers, never complained when the Army Chief was accompaning him and practically acting as the actual Prime Minister and seemed quite happy to follow the directives given by the Army. His legendary gaffes contributed to build a media friendly image of the 'Selected' prime minister, and the gossips around his private life, voices that included his blind faith in black magic and his marriage with a sourcerer of some kind in the end only boosted his popularity. Many thought, until not so long ago, he will complete his tenure and possibly win another election for a very simple reason: the Army will never find somebody more diligent than him in following directions and happily leaving to grown ups the burden of real governance. What went wrong, then? 

In the ultimate analysis, is Frankenstein's old story: the creature revolting against his creator. Most probably very ill-advised by his court of magicians and consensus-makers, who's job was mainly flattering Imran and making him believe he enjoyied some real power because of his follower's almost fanatic trust on him, Imran engaged a long battle against General Qamar Javed Bajwa, refusing to sign the replacement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general, Lt General Faiz Hameed, with Lieutenant-General Nadeem Anjum. Faiz Hameed, the mind behind the Taliban government compostion, was one of the architects of Imran's victory in 2018. Imran's plan was, according to analysts, to appoint Hameed as Army Chief in November, when the job will be vacant. The rest is history. Imran made the same basic mistake other Prime Ministers have made in the country's troubled political history: revolting against the Army. And the Army does not forgive his chosen ones trying to take individual decisions. Did not forgive Nawaz Sharif, did not forgive people like Adif Zardari trying to asses something given for grant in any democratic country: the supremacy of civilian rule. There's no civilian rule, no 'democratic' government in Pakistan without endorsement of the Army. 

The no-confidence motion, formally following the rules of a democratic debate and an healthy use of democratic institutions, is just another confirmation of the same old story: raise your head, touch the Army and you will have no chances. Pakistan it is still ruled by the Army and will always be. The use of democratic institutions to perpetuate the rule of the Army and ISI instead of the old-style military coups had been highlighted many years ago, much before Imran turned from an international playboy to a gandhian-style pacifist and then to a Taliban supporter and Islamic integralist. This document, carrying ISI and Army's footprints all over, was clearly exposing the then upcoming strategy for governance. No need anymore of military coups, difficult to manage if you have to ask continuosly money to the West and deal with Americans for the 'war on terror'.The next level strategy would have been the choice of a civilian leader who would meet the requests of the anynomous authors of the draft. The document went on talking of Islamic values, Pakistani culture (whatever Pakistani culture is), rejection of the West (but not of Western money, of course). It talked also of human and civil rights, concluding that there are times in history when the temporary suspension of the previous are justified by the ultimate goal. And the ultimate goal, the ultimate obsession, was and is 'the Enemy' at the doors. 

Imran, in a last desperate attempt to survive, is resorting to the same argument, the golden argument used to justify anything that goes wrong in Pakistan: the foreign conspiracy. According to Imran, there's a foreign plot to oust him: God only knows why, given that he counts less than nothing both on the internal and international scene. The drama of the 'secret letter' is still unfolding and went on stage on TV when the Kaptaan, in the umpteenth slip of tongue, mantioned 'America' as the conspirator. Far from resigning in a vaguely dignified way, Imran chose to speak to the nation offering another pathetic show of ego, narcissism and cricket methaphores. In short, he is frantically trying to cling on his seat and convince his puppetteers to give him another chance while blaming the West and 'foreign power' for his ruinos fall.

 With a well staged coup of theatre, he asked the National Assembly speaker to dismiss the no trust motion and the President to dissolve the assemblies. Opposition lawyers are already headed to the Supreme Court to oppose the government move, but voices are going round that new elections will be held in 90 days. Meanwhile, Bajwa is trying to patch the relationship with Washington. It is possible that, after the Army allows all the farce of democratic process to be fully played and Imran to do his walk of shame, he will be taken back through another 'democratic' election. With his head covered in ash and his lesson learned the hard way, but saving his ego by turning lemons into lemonade. Everything is possible, in the Land of Pure.