STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
Dust is clearing about the postponement of Tarnol Jalsaon Thursday, 22nd August 2024. It was Imran Khan’s decision. IK’s comments to journalists on Friday clarified it by what was left un-said and answered with a smile. IK restated his oft repeated position that he will not talk to Form 47 imposters forced upon us. Army representatives made a two-pronged approach. One to CM KP and another to IK directly. Security reasons were cited that could lead to widespread chaos and clashes in view of a religiously volatile hearing scheduled in Supreme Court. The IK I know is a caring person who would not permit bloodshed to get him out of jail. Political struggle is a contest of wills and a test of resolve. It’s a staring match and whoever blinks concedes ground. This time around the generals have blinked. They must realize they are surviving because IK has not yet lost his patience.
Imran Khan has been in jail for over a year on cooked–up charges. The cases against him have fallen like nine pins. It is totally unfair and anger against it growing by the day. PTI workers and supporters had mobilized from all over the country to attend. They are disappointed and frustrated at this 4th or 5th postponement of the Islamabad event. IK has taken a risk. Will the masses be less motivated for the new date announced of September 8th? The answer is simple. Pakistanis will not see any relief in the next few weeks; IK has declared any change in this date unacceptable and Islamabad Administration has issued an NOC. The reality of the challenges faced by freedom-seekers shall continue unabated.
We have an undeclared martial law. An authoritarian regime that is ruthless and wicked, driven by personal ambitions and greed. They will stoop to any level to live out their lies. Their weakness lies in the narrowness of their base. It comprises of a few generals, judges, intelligence operators and a coterie of unscrupulous police officers and bureaucrats. They are no match to the teeming millions crushed by inflation, outraged by the blatant theft of their electoral verdict and continued incarceration of their beloved leader. The masses are hurting to come out and express. The hay is dry and combustible; all it needs is a spark.
Through the courtesy of Barrister Rao Qasim Ali Khan, I got an opportunity to spend time with Pakistan’s eminent jurist and my friend from the founding days of PTI, Hamid Khan. He is on a private visit to Canada with his family. It gave me insight into the struggles faced by PTI’s tenacious team of lawyers for the past 30 months. They have fought a prolonged battle demolishing over 200 cases against IK personally and thousands of other frivolous cases against PTI leaders and workers. The evil web of legal entanglement spun by police, intelligence agencies and complicit judges has brought untold pain and suffering on PTI supporters. The resistance offered by these brave lawyers led by Hamid Khan will be remembered in glorious terms in history. Kudos to these fearless freedom fighters.
As we face this brutal regime in Pakistan, interesting developments are taking place in USA. It is customary for the two leading political parties, the Republicans and Democrats to hold their conventions to nominate their Presidential candidates. Republicans held it last month. It felt like a coronation event to promote the personal cult for Donald Trump. No economic platform was unfolded and there was an underlying tone of bitterness. Invectives were thrown out cementing divisions in an already fragmented society.
The Democratic convention concluded on Thursday. It had a totally different flavor. It had thousands of delegates assembled from around the country. It was a charged crowd throughout the four-day proceedings. They gave a loud response to the speakers promoting the core American values of love, care, compassion and equal opportunity. It is a whiff of fresh air away from the world of prejudice, racism and combativeness promoted by Trump. It appears Americans are accepting a non-white woman with liberal values to lead them. Should this process continue, we may witness a sharp decline in the aggressiveness of Establishment and move towards promoting democracy in countries like us.
It appears General Asim lives in La La land. In his recent speech he called out all those who predict we are headed for bankruptcy. Someone with a basic understanding of economics should have the guts to explain to him that bankruptcy is not a train-stop where you get-on or get down. It is a process like the melting of a glacier. When your expenses continue to exceed revenues and borrowing capacity diminishes, meltdown has started. It is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.
Unfortunately, Pakistan seems to be least of the Generals and their tout’s concern. They live and breathe of machinations to undo PTI and remove IK from the political scene. Over the past 30 months of cruelty and misdeeds they consumed their space. They are the most hated lot in Pakistan and ridiculed all over the world. Social media continues to expose their misdeeds and people can no longer be fooled. They are in a downward spiral unless the Generals do a massive course correction. Otherwise, the nation is teetering on the edge of some very combustible times. May Allah bless our nation and rid us of the muck accumulated over decades.
