Abdul Hadi Mayar Islamabad
While media sees the purported reassurance by ‘Sipah Salar’ as the moving force behind Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s latest bravado, insiders in the party say they derive much of their strength from Western powers, which have even ‘guaranteed their early return to power.’
“You saw the recent support emanating from Western capitals for PTI and the subsequent talks of US Ambassador Donald Blome wishing to meet Khan in jail,” a PTI leader said on condition of anonymity as, he argued, this was ‘not in line with the official position of the party.’
PTI stal warts like Umar Ayub and Ali Amin Gandapur sprang surprise last week when they extended an olive branch to General Asim Munir. Aleema Khan, the sister of Imran Khan, even said that Khan had ‘a message for the Army chief and he wished him to play neutral.’
There were even speculations that the army had opened unofficial channels of communication with Tehrik-e-Insaf ‘to de escalate mutual tension.’
Coming on the heels of thescathing propaganda against the IPPs, for which the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party are generally blamed, these reports had virtually unseated the government.
Though the government is dispelling any hobnobbing between the military establishment and the PTI, yet the party leader was confident not only about the release of Khan, but also re-entry of the party in the power ‘not later than the end of the current year.’
He also hinted at the recent utterances of Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, while announcing the $101 million budgetary allocation the Biden Administration recently sought from Congress for Pakistan, categorically signaling America’s dislike for China’s presence in the country.
The very lid from PTI’s secret manoeuvring for power was blown by PTI’s social media handlers abroad, who were very much part of the party’s drive to muster support of Western parliamentarians.
Enough to make a rationale for dislodging the government, a narrative was also concocted that after retirement of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa in October, the apex court will be left at the mercy ofanti-Qazi judges who would waste no time in nullifying the February 8 elections and calling fresh ones.
True to its convention, the army has as yet clarified its position pertaining to behind the scene talks with Khan or his lieutenants, but PML-N leaders are sounding confident that the army would neither forget May 9, nor the scathing attacksmade Khan against it.
Political observers in federal capital say the upcoming $ seven billion IMF deal for Pakistan is equally an effective tool in the hands of the Western powers to wean the country from China – a wish cherished by the West for a long time.
