Imran Khan continues to find excuses for the Taliban
If there was ever a time for Imran Khan to shed his Taliban Khan avatar it was now. In a climate with three major political parties under attack from the Taliban and Khan’s party looking like a serious contender in the upcoming general election, Khan needed to come clean on what many observers consider his many contradictions. But the man promising a Naya Pakistan has come up with another fine conspiracy theory: the Taliban had nothing to do with Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. To Khan, it does not matter if Bhutto herself identified threats from the Taliban, nor that the United Nation’s report implicated the Taliban too. In an interview with a British newspaper, Khan claims: “Benazir was not hit by the Taliban. Benazir was clearly killed by people worried she was going to come into power.”
None of these make sense to our Khan, who insists that the way out of the tussle with the Taliban, is to “withdraw the Pakistani military from the tribal areas and end US drone strikes.” He insists that “the way to [end the conflict] is to take away the motivation, which is Jihad.” It is his refusal to point the finger at the Taliban, at a time when the PPP, MQM and ANP are all under attack, and the ghost of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in 2007 still follows each rally Imran Khan attends. With a newly adorned bullet-proof vest and now traveling in a bullet proof vehicle, Khan insists the security is up on “the insistence of his team.” The explanation: “They think that because our graph is rising so rapidly the danger grows per day.” Khan also insisted that his name was on a list of the “top five targets” and police cars flank his convoy for each rally.
But the great contradiction, as with Khan’s interview with an Indian television station last year, is that while Khan admits a clear threat, he is unwilling to name who. Benazir Bhutto did and the consequences are known so perhaps Khan could be absolved. But it is Khan’s attempts to play the devil’s advocate and attempt completely absolve the Taliban of any wrong doing that stir up the most surprise. If Khan does not symphatise with the Taliban, why is he not pointing fingers? No one is looking to absolve the former dictator Musharraf of a role in the killing, but if Imran Khan has new evidence he should present it to the investigating team. If, as expected, Khan does not, then it can be considered another attempt to win the sympathies of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). But then, if there is no Taliban threat to Imran, nor was there one to Benazir, why has Khan started to wear a bullet proof vest to rallies? Something is amiss in Khan’s world and it is hoped he figures the contradiction out soon.
