EDITORIAL: Even when he was put on the mat every day by Imran Khan, former Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa (retd) kept mum. But for how long? “These (PTI) people were dangerous for the country,” the former army chief told a columnist who wanted to know why didn’t he step in to “save” Imran’s government. And that triggered a storm of retaliatory abuse, with Imran Khan speaking to anyone who would listen.
He spoke to the Voice of America (VOA) and then apprised the nation through a televised address and may say more on it in days to come. But between the lines he also betrayed how he took U-turns on whatever he had claimed before. For instance, as against brandishing the ‘cipher’ which purportedly indicated that Washington wanted his replacement with an “imported” leadership Imran Khan now wants to turn the page on that momentous claim.
Now he says, “Whatever happened, now as things unfold, it wasn’t the US who told Pakistan (to oust me). It was unfortunately, from what evidence has come up, (former army chief Gen (Qamar Javed) Bajwa who somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-American. And so, it [plan to oust him] wasn’t imported from there. It was exported from here to there”.
In his address Imran Khan, branded Gen Bajwa (retd) “super king”, implying as if he as prime minister was nothing more than a puppet and a “punching bag” for every wrong decision. His critical appraisal of former army chief also includes the latter’s culpability for the country’s “political and economic ills”.
As he spoke about Genl Bajwa (retd) he saw to it that he was not accusing the army as an institution – a mistake some of his juniors committed and are paying for it. Asked about his relationship with new army chief General Asim Munir, the PTI chief said: “you need two hands to clap”.
Imran Khan is not the first and only prime minister of Pakistan who was sent home packing by the military. But the kind of protest he is dishing out against his ouster is misplaced.
He lost his office because he failed to survive the vote of no-confidence against him. There was nothing unusual or illegal about it. And his tirade against Gen Bajwa (retd) brings to mind his exclusive meeting on the sun-soaked sprawling lawn of his Banigala residence with the then army chief Gen Bajwa and the then ISI chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hamid.
Place that picture in the context of Bajwa’s tenure extension and you get the message that something must have seriously gone wrong with Imran Khan that he lost not only a big chunk of his coalition MPs but also lost the confidence of the parliament. Imran Khan needs to know that upsets like the one he faced are unfortunately nothing new to democracy as practiced in Pakistan. Given his massive vote bank, he has every chance of regaining the premiership.
He needs to move out of the groove and rethink his blame game. And as he does accept that the Army is an institution and not the crowd of ‘yes-men’, as is now the case with almost all the political parties, including PTI.
The country is passing through very difficult times as its economy refuses to recover or regain its vitality the enemy is knocking at the door. It deserves his attention. He must move forward. Becoming a prisoner to the past is no prudent approach to politics.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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