Nawazish Ali Gondal
Michael Jankelowitz, a Jerusalem-based commentator on international affairs and the Jewish world, who previously served as spokesman to the international media at the Jewish Agency for Israel, writes in his article published in The Washington Post: “US President Donald Trump repeatedly calls on Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why is Trump silent on the fate of imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan?”The question is whether this individual, writing in The Washington Post, is trying to twist Pakistan’s arm out of hostility, or whether the matter is far deeper and part of a strategic effort to structure and amplify the lobbying of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The first possibility is worrying, but the second is extremely alarming.
From the narrative of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, from the content shared on the social media accounts of its supporters, and from the kind of lobbying the party itself is undertaking regarding the state, a question has been arising for quite some time: who is actually strategizing PTI’s policies? Are those shaping its policies based within Pakistan, or are they external forces?
What is being written and shared from Imran Khan’s Twitter account, the leadership of PTI within Pakistan appears unaware of it. They do not seem to know who is writing or who is sharing this content. This raises a fundamental question: who is controlling and operating the social media presence of the head of a political party?
Where are the decisions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf actually being made? Are these decisions being taken by the party’s Central Executive Committee, or are there unseen forces, possibly sitting abroad, that are strategizing its political direction?
If Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is indeed a political party, then it must seriously reflect on these questions. For quite some time, it has been felt that in opposing the government, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has turned the entire matter into opposition against the state itself. The policy of a national political party appears to have been hijacked by a few overseas YouTubers. While lobbying, no consideration is given to whether the elements being engaged are hostile to Pakistan.
At times it is Zalmay Khalilzad, at others Arif Aajakia, then a terrorist like Naseeb Baloch, sometimes Yalda Hakim, and now a Jewish writer in The Washington Post. The question is, what path has Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf embarked upon
If PTI believes that it can achieve its objectives by twisting the arm of the state and creating a front against it, then it is mistaken. The question is whether PTI is still merely a political party, or whether it has become a fault line within the state. This is a question that PTI itself must consider one last time, because no nation-state can tolerate a fault line for long. A time comes when the state fills that fault line with lead and seals it, leaving no crack behind.
Even before the vote of no confidence, PTI’s grasp of political wisdom was weak, but after it, it has crossed all limits. It is hard to find even a single decision that reflects sound political judgment. A strange frenzy has been created, and in this passion and chaos, the matter is no longer opposition versus government; it is turning into opposition versus the state.
Whenever and wherever the state stands at a difficult juncture, PTI does not act in goodwill; instead, it starts crying “opportunity, opportunity, opportunity,” and begins to twist the state’s arm. Whatever position the state adopts, it takes the opposite stance, without caring how much damage this behavior may cause. Its language and posture still reflect the same stance: if there is no Khan, then nothing else matters.
It believes this is its best policy, but the reality is the opposite. In truth, this is a foolish policy, and at its end lies not a destination, but a deep abyss.
—The writer is a lawyer based at Islamabad.
