The New Puppet On The Block
By Muhammad Ali Sajjad • Apr 28th, 2012 • Category: Lead Story, Politics, Worth A Second Look • 13 CommentsWhen Pakistan won the cricket world cup 20 years ago Imran Khan became my favorite. Then for the construction of his cancer hospital he frequently used to visit schools, in the process visited my schools 2-3 times for donations and promote items as Eid cards etc and the proceeds would go cancer hospital. He launched his party, carrying it forward single handedly. There was time when he was the only one who spoke for the missing persons, against the mafia party of Karachi, especially after the killings on 12th of May during CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Ch, both of these during Musharraf era. Unafraid, he just wanted to speak truth and get justice, he was a true fighter. During the floods of yesteryears domestic and international donors gave more donations to Imran Khan than they gave to Government of Pakistan, his honesty and integrity was un-doubtable. Kind hearted, brave, honest, compassionate, he was almost perfect.
The Puppet Master:
Like in USA, in Pakistan we have select group elites who control the reins of the country, they are like puppet masters, and they have the strings to control, manipulate the puppets (Governement Of Pakistan) as they wish. When the audience (awaam/nation) gets fed up, these elite or puppet masters simply take the puppets off the stage, bring on new puppets and start a new show to keep the audience calm. The audience think that it was them (the audience) who forced the show to be changed and they are in control, but its in fact the opposite. The puppet masters remain the same.
The Dirty and The Dangerous:
Thanks to Julian Assange, the Wiki bomb exploded. In July 2009, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirate’s armed forces and de facto defense chief, said that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is ‘dirty but not dangerous’ and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is ‘dangerous but not dirty’. This might be crown prince’s personal opinion but this is how the establishment in Pakistan sees them. UAE and KSA are major players in Pakistan and the establishment is in close contact with them.
The Horns Of Dilemma:
The dilemma for the establishment is that they have run out of options. They know that the nation is fed up with PPP/Zardari and it’s only a matter of time people will demand a change. The alternate was PML-N/Nawaz Sharif. They know Zardari’s time is over and they don’t Nawaz Sharif have another term. Simple solution would be military take over. The army is already engaged on western border and the dismal state of national institutions would make too much on the army’s plate. So the need arose for a new option. Further gone are the days of pre-90s when military take over was a routine, now media is more active than ever and the masses have also gained a sense to oppose army rule.
The New Puppet On The Block:
Imran Khan was the perfect new option who had all the traits of good leader as I have mentioned above. The establishment has given the signal that they now favor Imran Khan so all the turn coats and lotas are flocking to PTI. Javed Hashmi and lots of other politicians who have joined PTI are now vocal critics of their former bosses what led to this overnight change? Shah Mehmood Qureshi only spoke against Zardari’s handling of Nuclear Assets when Foreign Ministry (his free ticket to world tours) was taken away. Those who stand for principle don’t wait, they just part their ways.
Had Nawaz Sharif transplanted something inside his head (a brain) instead of hair outside it, he would have chosen Hashmi as leader of opposition, but he chose Nisar Ali Khan. Let’s not forget Mian Azhar, who famously had a spat with Nawaz Sharif over the Governorship of Punjab. He was the first one to lend support to dictator Musharraf after the coup and headed the Q-League. The list will go on endlessly. Take a look majority of “heavy weights” who have joined the PTI are the ones who didn’t get tickets from their current party or key ministers from Q League from the Musharraf era. This Q League became the crutches of Gen Musharraf during his era of ”enlighten moderation”.
Open up the profiles of these “honest people” (as Imran Khan calls them) these were the ones who joined Zia for power, then stayed with Nawaz Sharif during the 1990s then joined Gen Musharraf in 1999 and now PTI. All they want is power.
These people without power are like fish without water.
As You Sow So Shall You Reap:
Being a cricketer Imran Khan should know better than all his supporters that when 10 members of cricket team revolt against its captain, no matter if the captain is right or wrong, he is rendered helpless and in some cases the captain has to quit. If a majority of Imran Khan’s party members are corrupt what can Imran Khan do?
A farmer no matter how hard working and dedicated, if he is sowing wheat he won’t get rice from that crop. No one is questioning the farmer’s dedication but no matter what he does he can’t get the desired result. All the PTI’s new entrants are well known turncoats and gold diggers, always looking for opportunity to make personal gains. This group has been in power before and only made things worse for Pakistan. Why should they be trusted with the policy making this time around ?
What makes them different this time? The only difference is Imran Khan says that there are only clean and honest people in PTI. I suppose Imran Khan equates joining PTI to Hajj, as who ever performs Hajj has all his misdeeds forgiven.
These people have a long list of cases to their names.Will the Justice Party spend 5 years serving masses or fighting cases of its own members, or is it time for NRO Part 2.0?
The One Point Agenda:
One way of rising above is to work hard; the other is to make other look bad. Imran Khan is more focused on the latter. Saving his best for Nawaz Sharif. Zardari must be singing “o jane walay dekhta chal , hum bhi paray hain rahon main” (oh passerby spare sometime for me also)
Up till now Imran Khan’s one point agenda is to malign Nawaz Sharif. Nothing about inflation, neither poverty alleviation nor he has ever told how he plans to lift Pakistan out of its current mess. All we get to hear is his promises that he is the solution to all problems. What is that solution? what are going to be his policies ? all quite on that front.
Maintenance Of “Status Quo”:
Given the frustration of the masses, all any leader has to do, is make one call to protest, and the people of Pakistan will come to the streets and force the current regime out . Since Imran Khan is being sponsored by the establishment, keeping in line with their signal, Imran Khan can’t do anything dramatic, cautious enough not to do anything that might trigger a wholesale change in the system. His rally is Karachi went on, only after approval by the establishment, otherwise the MQM in Karachi doesn’t even allow a bird to chirp with out its permission. Confrim that from Nabeel Gabol, the helpless minister from Karachi .
Like Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan is very efficient in arranging rallies and jalsas. Merely gatherings in park accompanied by slogans won’t solve anything.
Where Does He Stand Now?
Come the next general elections, (should they choose to contest) PTI might win 40 seats maybe 60 if it is helped by the establishment, which would be not enough for to bring any change. PTI has well and truly arrived on the political scenario but it is only a false dawn.
The Three Sided Coin.
If a coin had three sides Zardari and Nawaz Sharif would be two sides and Imran Khan would be the third.
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so that’s the way it is, what anyone can do about it? absolutely nothing. Wrong, Imran is the 1st choice for many.
PTI cannot cross over 50 seats no matter what and that would be very ideal for them if they reach anywhere near them. They are there to create a hung parliament, which suits…. yes you guessed it.
Although you write eloquently Muhammad and have done some good analysis on the “turn-coats”, nevertheless, you clearly have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and clearly don’t want change even if it may prove to be ‘bad’ change in hind-sight.
Have to wonder why you’re vexed that IK attacks Nawaz Sharif when Sharif is corrupt, disloyal and an American puppet, just like Zardari. He sent Aimal Kansi to his death, he was involved in stealing Raiwand land and having mullahs killed, he plundered the public purse for his own businesses, he was weak against India and US when in office, he spends all his time with the US ambassador and he has just claimed that Pakistan should leave its own territory of Siachen unilaterally following an avalanche. As a Pakistani, I don’t want such a person to run our country. I don’t care who comes to power as long as they are 100% loyal to Pakistan, put Pakistan first, second and third, don’t play door-mat to Pakistan’s enemies’, don’t fight others’ wars, don’t kill their own people and don’t embarrass our country with their ugly faces and ugly antics like Zardari.
If by “establishment” you mean who I think you mean i.e. the military, the agencies and the judiciary, I, as an average person still prefer them to the PPP, Nawaz League, Musharraf and Q League et al, despite their numerous flaws because they still occasionally did some ‘good work’. PPP and N League et al have done nothing to benefit Pakistan.
In short, even if he has some “turn-coats” or indeed, all turn-coats in his team, I would rather he was given a chance to do something to better the lot of Pakistan then the tired, rejects and fossils of the past. At least he has a clue about PR. At least he is presentable. We have spent the last 10 years being represented by bad-soorat khabeeth colluding with the country’s enemies, killing their own people to please foreign aggressors. No more of this beghayrati.
IK anyday Inshallah…
Establishment is a stake holder in the country. Almost every party sets terms with establishment and other external/internal stake holders so why single out just PTI? If not IK then what are the options? Nawaz and Zardari?
In my opinion, we need class of leaders who can uproot corruption and this wheeling dealing with internal and external establishment . But those leaders are not going to be churned out by corrupt political system.
@Maria
Parliamentary democracy will not work for us. It is just like feudalism dressed in a modern get up. It has failed to provide justice. The only practical solution for us is to establish rule of law that obeys Islam.
The average commentator approaches to the Pak-Spectator to read and enjoy the reading stuff. But when Maria types in, she becomes the center of attention.
Woh mein keih ria tha eik Mansoori Sb. bhi yehan hotay hein Kuch Irshad fermaiy.
Maria ,
yes, that is what is required, hung parliament so there can be no change in system.
Pakistani Bint
Speaking of presentable, Musharraf was a good orator, well mannered and very presentable. BB like IK was an Oxford graduate, what difference did they make ?
No, the continuity of the current system not benefit me any more that it would benefit you.
The point of highlighting Imran’s criticism was that the in the current conditions, the party to beat is PMLN, given the two party rule we have in Pakistan. That why Imran Khan is calling him self messiah and portraying NS as the bud of all evils, where as both Zardari and NS are equally bad. Please read the last line in the above post. The elites are aware that the next turn might come for NS which they dont want so IK leaves no chance to sling mud at him.
NS atleast didn’t bow and defied international pressure to conduct nuclear tests, where as AAZ sent the memo offering to surrender Pakistan to the US. Apart from that both are equal.
Just because a machine has good genuine regulator/controller/switch/starter and the rest of machine is 100% obsolete (refer to you comment above: indeed, all turn-coats in his team), would you buy that machine any given day ? Not good idea to me.
The type of foundation IK is laying, he can only build ruins on them. These same lot of people helped Musharraf, and are responsible for PPP government,they passed Musharraf’s NRO to help Zardari become the president.
True Blue Pakistani
—-. But those leaders are not going to be churned out by corrupt political system.
This one line sums up very concisely what i say that this group of people have been in assemblies for decades, so this product of our “corrupt political system.” can not be the harbingers of change. IK was my man also-as mentioned above- untill he joined hands with the establishment.
Hi Sajjad,
A very good take on the present Pakistani political condition.
What do you suggest as an ordinary Pakistani? How should they vote? I think MQM is unbeatable in sindh. ANP is same in KP.Nawaz in punjab till now.Imran may get Punjab in half./ Then what?
@Muhammad Ali Sajjad
””NS atleast didn’t bow and defied international pressure to conduct nuclear tests””
With due respect brother, I disagree. Nawaz never wanted to do the nuclear tests(this fact was also confirmed by AQ Khan). The nuclear test was done by the army. Nawaz simply had no option.
Leaders play a critical role in any political party. Even if you have honest people in the party but the leader is corrupt, the honest ones would be sidelined.
Dear Captain Sb.
That is the game, to give false hope to nation. When Musharraf left we were told that this is a new begining. We have spent 5 years waiting now we are being made to belive that IK is the next new begining whereas there is no change comming only change of faces. After 5 years there will be another artificial change and we will be told give the next government a 5 years.
I suggest that we Cure The Disease, Not The Symptoms. Strive to change the system.
True Blue Pakistani,
Even if what you say is true it is irrelevant, as i have said many times before, (in the post and comments) apart from few things NS and AAZ are the same.
and like you have said :
—-. But those leaders are not going to be churned out by corrupt political system.
i also belive the same, as these people are the result of our system, there are no new faces so i dont expect a new result.