The extremists like no one
Imran Khan is no supporter of the US. He refuses to accept that the ongoing struggle against extremism and militancy is an existential issue for Pakistan. Instead, he calls it an “American war” and accuses the government of being a part of it. His electoral alliance with Sheikh Rashid, a star speaker at nearly every Defence of Pakistan Conference, is an indicator that he is ideologically nearer to the extremist alliance than any other party. Like the DPC, Imran vehemently opposes the permission given to Nato to take supplies through Pakistan. Last month, Imran announced that in August he would lead a peace march to Waziristan to publicize the plight of the victims of the US drone strikes. The TTP spokesman has warned him that if he dared to enter the Agency, he would be killed by the mujahideen.
The TTP has given two reasons to declare Imran an “infidel”. First, Imran calls himself a liberal which in the eyes of the militant group is enough to prove that he has abandoned Islam. The second charge against Imran is that he believes in democracy and is keen to take part in elections. The TTP considers anyone including the religious parties who participate in elections as infidels and have vowed to target them. “The election process is part of a secular system,” said Ahsan. ”We want an Islamic system and will create hurdles to secularism.”
The extremist camp stands ideologically splintered though. A section of the ulema in Pakistan, irrespective of their sect, continue to take part in parliamentary politics. Even those supporting sectarian militancy have contested elections. In the Arab world, the Muslim Brotherhood jumped into the elections after the ouster of Hosnie Mubarak, got majority of seats in the assembly and occupied the presidential slot. A similar feat was performed by the moderate Islamist Ennahada which assumed power in Tunisia. This shattered the Al-Qaeda which is deadly against democracy and elections and depends solely on violence as an instrument of change. Even in Saudi Arabia, the hardline conservative Salafis are setting aside years of theological opposition to democracy. Saudi Salafi heavyweight Sheikh Salman al-Awdah recently took to his Twitter feed and Facebook page to declare that “Democracy might not be an ideal system, but it is the least harmful, and it can be developed and adapted to respond to local needs and circumstances.” While the Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are getting isolated, their fury knows no bounds. What Imran Khan needs to realize is that the pernicious streak has to be wiped out. Any hobnobbing with them is dangerous for the country and democracy.