Pakistan : Imrans forbidden fancies

Stuck between the rock of knowing his protest is going nowhere and the hard place of not wanting to admit defeat, Imran Khan has straddled the line between articulating a commitment to democratic norms and calling for them to be violated. His latest demand should leave no doubt that Imran is less concerned with democracy than ensuring the best possible outcome for himself personally. Having called for the Supreme Court to investigate last year’s elections – a proposal Nawaz Sharif himself had agreed to more than three months ago – Imran has now modified that by saying that the ISI and MI should be part of the judicial commission. This, it should go without saying, is an audacious and dangerous proposal. The intelligence agencies have clearly defined roles and adjudicating on election results isn’t one of them. They are already busy trying to protect us from internal militant threats and hostile foreign powers. Where investigating allegations of rigging would fit in with their line of work is not something Imran can explain. Moreover, the ISPR had clearly stated that it would not involve itself in domestic political disputes; thanks to Imran’s absurd proposal it may have to reiterate its commitment to strengthening democracy.

Imran’s demand is even odder when one considers that the Supreme Court is currently showing itself to be a neutral umpire – to use one of the PTI chief’s favoured phrases – in the prime minister’s disqualification case. And, as Ishaq Dar pointed out, the government can only request the Supreme Court to form a commission, as it has already promised to do. It cannot even ask for certain judges to be appointed, let alone insist on the intelligence agencies being part of the commission. Dar rightly rejected the PTI’s new proposal since it would require violation of the constitution, drag the military into civilian affairs and create a precedent that any aggrieved party can appeal to the armed forces after losing an election. Imran must have known his latest demand would be rejected but he seems to be at a dead end. Every day he backtracks, makes a new curious statement and then forgets all about it. Previously he had insisted Nawaz resign immediately; now in his Rahimyar Khan speech he wants the resignation only if the commission proves rigging took place. He also wants those guilty – and in Imran’s mind there is no question of innocence – to be tried for treason. There seems to be no end game for Imran, just a constant shifting of the goalposts as he bides his time. But for what? He can’t still be hoping a ‘neutral umpire’ comes to his rescue. Or can he?