Imran Khan’s politics has become a game of whack-a-mole: every time you think you’ve got a handle on what he stands for, he pops up with a completely different position. Backtracking has become a defining feature of his leadership style, and it seems that with each passing day, he manages to outdo himself in terms of inconsistencies and U-turns. At this point, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the positions Imran Khan has changed.
Imran Khan has now shifted the blame for his ouster from the United States to General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the former army chief. The irony of Imran Khan’s shift in blame is not lost on anyone. For years, and not long before his ouster in April last year, Imran kept showering lavish praise on Gen Bajwa. But now, the former army chief is the focus of Khan’s bitter tirades.
It cannot be denied that General Bajwa has had a controversial role in Pakistan’s political and military landscape. And, with each passing day, a new controversy seems to emanate from this convoluted situation. The latest episode is the alleged phone call between the former army chief and a talk-show host. Gen Bajwa allegedly confessed to taping his meetings with Imran Khan, who is now demanding that President Arif Alvi initiate an inquiry against his former benefactor.
The ugly fallout between Gen Bajwa and Imran Khan is taking the dimensions of a soap opera. Khan used to openly gush about General Bajwa and described the general as a staunch believer in democracy and a supporter of his government. But since last April, Gen Bajwa’s standing has shifted dramatically in Imran Khan’s world: from the finest pro-democracy army chief to evil incarnate.
Imran Khan is also finding it hard to come to terms with his public image as an anti-American politician. Khan has been known for his anti-American sentiments and his outspoken criticism of US foreign policy. He blamed the US for many of the ills plaguing the country, including support for military rulers, the use of drones in the tribal regions and militancy inside Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan. Khan’s latest assertion that Gen Bajwa “somehow convinced the Americans that he is anti-American” is amusing to say the least.
The Khan-Bajwa acrimony illustrates the complex relationship between the military and politics in Pakistan. However, what is most striking about Khan’s approach is the lack of guilt or remorse that he shows when he changes his position. The way he does so seems effortless and without any regard for the consequences or impact on his credibility.
The constant flip-flops by Imran Khan are now seen as a sign of a lack of commitment to his own beliefs. The constant stream of U-turns has had a detrimental effect on the country’s political fibre, which is already fragile and prone to instability. Increasingly, people are cynical about politics. Many of those who thought Imran Khan was different from traditional politicians are now forced to reconsider their belief in him.
Despite all this, it’s no surprise that Imran Khan’s base continues to lap up whatever he says, even if it’s hugely contradictory. Due to his charisma and passion for what he does, his supporters are willing to overlook his inconsistencies because they continue to believe that he has their best interests at heart.
However, this kind of blind loyalty can be dangerous. It reinforces a culture of misinformation and undermines the democratic process.
On the other side of the political spectrum, when Shehbaz Sharif became Prime Minister after the no-confidence parliament vote last April, there were high expectations of him. His track record in Punjab as a development-oriented, super-efficient administrator had earned him a reputation as a leader who could deliver results.
But critics say that PM Shehbaz has lagged in providing the kind of inspiring leadership that was expected of him in these tumultuous times. It is evident that the challenges of a coalition government have weighed heavily on the prime minister. PM Shehbaz has been on the move, but meaningful progress has been missing.
Meanwhile, rifts within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are exacerbated. Miftah Ismail has been trying to reimagine the world of Pakistani politics. His reaction to the unceremonious ouster as finance minister has been gradual and gained steam and pungency in recent weeks. Many, though, are left wondering if his foray into the world of ‘re-imagination’ is a personal effort or resulted from a nudge from powerful quarters — as a testing of the waters exercise for a future national or technocratic setup.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is also on a different tangent from his own political party and one of the biggest advocates for a national unity government. He acts prime ministerial, but the Sharifs did not go through the troubles of the Bajwa-Faiz-Khan years to simply hand it over to Abbasi. It will be interesting to see how long Abbasi stays in the party or parts ways like Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
In all this mix, there has been a steady stream of appointments of special advisors to the prime minister. These appointments reek of a certain tone-deafness characteristic of PML-N and disconnect from the street. The frequent foreign trips of the prime minister have also been criticised by his opponents.
PM Shehbaz has been most troubled by the impression that his leadership style lacks decisiveness. There has been a widespread feeling that he has dithered in taking strong decisions, and, therefore, the government has been unable to move forward with a clear direction even though the agenda has been obvious right from the start.
This lack of meaningful action has caused frustration among the party base and eroded the trust and credibility of the government. PM Shehbaz’s major challenge is to steer the country to the next elections, whenever the coalition leadership finally decides to hold them. In the run-up to the elections, PM Shehbaz also needs to provide a cushion for his own party from the grinding inflation that is going to hit the electorate in the coming weeks and months. A government cannot accomplish this daunting task without clear thinking and a firm hand.
Above all, notwithstanding all the shortcomings that have defined Imran Khan’s agitation politics, he still remains a potent threat to the ruling alliance. Attempts to have Khan disqualified or thrown in jail will only add to his popularity and provide further fuel to his narrative of being a victim and outsider to the traditional political realm.
The challenges for PM Shehbaz are mounting, and the coming few weeks will be critical for the government. They will determine the course of the future, not only for Shehbaz as prime minister but for the political survival of Imran Khan as well.