Imran Khan and his theatrics are anything but democratic
Imran Khan heads a mainstream political party which has formed government in KP while it commands the third position after PML-N and PPP in the National Assembly. People therefore expect him to act like a cool headed statesman and a parliamentary leader who relies on persuasion as his chief weapon. PTI’s opposition to drone strikes is quite understandable and many people in this country share the party’s concerns. In fact there is no political party in the National Assembly which supports drone attacks. The difference lies in the choice of methods to resolve the issue. The PTI leadership could have agitated the issue in the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures. It was unwise to call for a blockade of the NATO traffic which has caused suffering to many Pakistanis without having any impact on the US drone policy. The argument that Peshawar High Court has declared drone attacks illegal does not authorise the PTI to get the court’s verdict implemented through street power.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s disruption of NATO supply in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has continued for eight consecutive days. This has hit the business community as well as hundreds of people depending for their livelihood on transport of goods directly or indirectly. The PTI has stakes in the system. It has to realise that it cannot afford to upset the apple cart.
Imran Khan’s tone however is getting more and more strident with every passing day. He has accused the government of playing America’s game. He has even charged that it has been installed to promote the international agenda of the US and the prime minister has come to power under a secret deal with the US. It reminds one of what PML-N leaders used to say about the PPP government. The PTI has every right to criticise the government and expose its policies but maintaining that it has assumed power through some sort of conspiracy amounts to insulting the electorate. While the government has hardly been in power for six months, Khan has declared that it has lost the moral authority to rule because it has failed to fulfill its election promises of restoring peace, stopping drone attacks and eliminating corruption. This indicates a mindset which is anything but democratic. Imran Khan has announced a massive demonstration against price-hike in Lahore on December 22. Is he about to join the company of rabble rousers like Hafiz Saeed and leaders of Difa-e-Pakistan Council who too have announced similar moves?
