IK a perspective otherwise
I am ruthless critique of Imran Khan and his politics. I always write my own way but today, I have decided to give the perspective of two of my close associates and senior civil servants about Imran Khan and his policies.
One civil servant from Punjab goes on this way. ‘It’s my detached analysis on Imran Khan as a neutral observer with no political affiliation towards any party.
My only priority as a civil servant has been to work for betterment of our country in whatever capacity I can, by always trying to give my best shot.
You have every right to disagree with my analysis. Imran Khan is history. August 2018, with high hopes and expectations, people thronged polling stations to vote in favour of PTI.
The election fever was immense. Each one of us was passionate and casting vote in favour of PTI was a do-or-die situation.
I strongly believe he should have been given a chance to complete his tenure just like it happens in India and developed world.
Pakistan has suffered as a result of this game of musical chairs ever since its inception. For all PTI supporters, this is Pakistan. Every nation has a national behaviour and culture. Unfortunately, we as a nation are extremely unfaithful, benefactor slaying and opportunist.
Philanthropists like Abdul Sattar Edhi and Hakeem Saeed lost in elections. This has been land of Mir Jaffer, Mir Sadik and all the recent Chor Dakoo and traitors we are all familiar with.
Imran Khan should have stayed a philanthropist. Sacrificing wife, kids and twenty five years of life was not worth the effort.
People he had to rule, people all around him, people he had to work with and all against him belong to this corrupt system and are a product of this system.
He would not have been successful considering the environment he had to live in. From riches to rags, we are all liars and traitors with due apologies.
Let’s be honest, let’s look around and 99.9 per cent of us are a product of this society. Don’t curse your house help, tailor, driver or lower class, look into your educational institutions, your government offices, your physicians and everyone around — this nation is thoroughly corrupt.
Imran Khan was meant to fail. Odds were heavily stacked against him. We are in a sorry state of affairs.
With a heavy heart, we bid farewell to you, our captain: an idealist in vision, a liberal in practice and a failure in this already rotten system.
We are lucky to have lived in your era. We were lucky to witness your regime. We shall continue to be unfortunate until and unless we learn to respect institutions and allowing the democratic process to prosper.
Derailing the system is devastating for the state. We never learn from history. Imran Khan, you will remain an interesting and intriguing figure for history students to study.
You will remain to be controversial. However, you were loved and respected by most of us around.
Your idealist approach will make you comparable to Woodrow Wilson. Like Bhutto, you sold a vision, unfortunately never got to materialize it. Good luck captain.
Cricket and life have glorious uncertainties. Like cricket, in life too one has to move on. Just like Ratti Jinnah, I feel sorry for Jemima, as she paid the price for this passion of yours.
She did not know you were married to your passion. Adieu Captain. ’ Let’s find another couplet from another civil servant from Punjab, It goes, ‘I will tell what crime you committed Dear Imran Khan.
I have been asking why IK had to be removed immediately rather than wait for 16 months to complete the term.
So here is the answer. To understand this first let’s cover two concepts. Firstly, what is Petrodollar. It’s an agreement signed between King Faisal and President Nixon in 1974.
Saudi responsibility was to convince all OPEC countries to sell oil in US dollars and not accept any other currency or gold.
All proceeds from sale will be deposited in US banks or Federal Reserve . This increase the demand for USD because for any country to buy oil they first have to buy USD.
This arrangement keeps USD strong. In return Saudi currency was pegged at 1 USD = 3.75 SR, the Saudi economy may do good or bad the conversion rate will remain same.
They will not face devaluation. Secondly, US guaranteed that House of Saud will remain in power, no regime change.
US responsibility was to make sure none of the OPEC countries opt out of this arrangement.
Iraq and Libya renegade and we all know what happened. It is very important to understand that this deal occurred in 1953 before the petrodollar deal in 1974.
Imran khan was the first Pakistani PM to do a Pakistani Rupee-Chinese Yuan deal in 2019. If Imran Khan would have succeeded in doing within next 16 months, even at the expense of loosing the next election Pakistan would have come out of slavery.
Hence, he had to be removed immediately. He left US no choice. Imran Khan should be thankful that he is not sitting with Saddam Hussain and Muammar al-Gaddafi in heaven.
US has given him a second chance, but if he is determined not to avail then only God knows what will happen to him or Pakistan.
If Imran Khan is successful in getting this through in his second term, this constant devaluation of Rupee (1 USD = 180 PKR) will stop, Pakistan will start paying IMF and conversion rate will recover.
Pakistan is at a crossroads: can end up with Iraq & Libya, can end up with Sri Lanka and can end up with freedom’.
—The writer is editor, book ambassador, political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.
