Political instability in any country not only hampers socio-economic development but also obstructs the process of strengthening democracy. This is amply corroborated by the prevailing political stalemate in the country, largely due to confrontational politics by PTI. Politics is the art of the possible, which denotes flexibility and a spirit of accommodation to resolve contentious issues. This necessitates engagement and dialogue between the government and the opposition, as well as other stakeholders.

PTI might have some grievances, both genuine and contrived. However, that does not in any way justify violence, disruption of the democratic process and relentless confrontation with the government and state institutions. It is a regrettable reality that since the fall of its government through a constitutional process, PTI has indulged in such abhorrent acts to the detriment of state interests. The founding chairman of the party, soon after his exit from power, tried to build a false narrative of a conspiracy against him by the USA and the establishment, and then kept shifting the blame to others. In the end, he absolved the USA and others of having woven the conspiracy and focused solely on the establishment. The party and its social media activists, within and outside the country, have been making persistent efforts to malign the Pakistan Army and its leadership at the global level without let-up.

The party also wrote to the IMF not to release the next tranche of the agreed Extended Fund Facility to the Government of Pakistan, which constituted a brazen anti-state act. In the aftermath of the arrest of its founding chairman, the party resorted to an unprecedented assault on military installations and monuments to martyrs throughout the country, a move allegedly masterminded by him. That surely landed the party in trouble, as many of its second-tier leaders involved in the 9 May incidents and party workers were arrested. Many of them have already been convicted, while others, including the founding chairman, are facing cases in courts of law.

No state allows such acts against its integrity. The State of Pakistan rightly took action against all those involved in the dastardly attacks of 9 May. The founding chairman, who has been convicted for corruption by courts of law, might also face a severe sentence for masterminding the 9 May episode.

The founding chairman of PTI and the party leadership have also staunchly opposed the action taken by security and law enforcement agencies against terrorists who pose an existential threat to the country, advocating dialogue with them while claiming they were backed by India and the hostile Taliban regime in Afghanistan. How can a political party undermine the security of the country and fail to stand behind the security forces rendering unprecedented sacrifices to thwart the perfidious designs of the nation’s enemies?

Nobody in their right mind can endorse such acts by a political party. That is not the way political parties conduct themselves. It is evident from the foregoing that the party is itself responsible for the situation in which it finds itself. Notwithstanding this reality, it continues on the path of confrontation with the government and the establishment, not realising the consequences of such a strategy. Presently, the party is focusing on securing the release of its founding chairman by putting pressure on the government and the establishment through street power and agitation. Independent political analysts are of the view that the party is treading the wrong path in this regard.

Nevertheless, the party is contemplating launching a street movement after Eid, notwithstanding visible divisions within its ranks and a lack of coherent strategy to pursue its objective. Some favour dialogue with the government, while others prefer remaining in confrontational mode, as desired by the founding chairman. The Chief Minister of KPK, Sohail Afridi, is said to lead the hawks within the party and has announced the formation of an “Imran Khan Release Force”. The party chairman, Barrister Gohar, is reportedly opposed to the idea and feels such a move would amount to militancy.

The founding chairman of PTI is not a political prisoner as the party propagates. He has been convicted by courts of law for corruption. Any relief for him can come only through the judiciary and not by pressurising the government for his release. The party appears to be under the illusion that it can secure his release through street power. It has been trying for months to mobilise the public without any significant response, proving that it has no demonstrable street strength. Repeating a failed strategy borders on folly. Imran Khan often cited Einstein’s quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.”

The revolution exists only in their imagination. Even when the founding chairman was not incarcerated, he could not bring millions onto the streets as claimed, and attendance at his rallies rarely exceeded fifteen to twenty thousand. This indicates that people have rejected the confrontational politics of PTI. The strategy worked when the party, during its rule, had the backing of the establishment to suppress the opposition. Those crutches are no longer available. The party is now locked in confrontation with the establishment itself. The sisters of the founding chairman have further inflamed tensions by alleging that the establishment was attempting to harm him in jail.

It is on record that several opportunities came PTI’s way to create political space and lessen its difficulties, but these were frittered away in an improvident manner in favour of confrontation. The party needs serious rethinking of its strategy, recognising that politics is about finding a way out of a quagmire and breaking the stalemate. It must leave the issue of the founding chairman’s release to the courts and engage in dialogue with the government on other contentious political issues, an idea to which the government appears receptive at present.

Malik Muhammad AshrafThe writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com

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