British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned in the aftermath of the Suez crisis in 1956. So did French President Charles de Gaulle after defeat in the constitutional referendum of 1969 while Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, retired from politics in 1984 due to the unpopularity of the Liberal Party. They were courageous leaders who took responsibility for the shortcomings of the teams working under them. There are examples of outstanding cricket captains also resigning when their team lost a series or faced defeat in a one-day tournament. Instead of owning the defeat in his home ground, an angry Kaptaan has dissolved the PTI’s entire organizational structure, thus holding every party office bearer except himself responsible for the KP discomfiture.
Party workers want an explanation. How come the party built by Imran Khan avowedly over 22 years failed miserably in the first election it contested without the support of those who matter? If there was nepotism in the distribution of party tickets, why has no action been taken against those responsible? As action against PTI bigwigs could jeopardise the PTI government, Mr Khan decided to shift the responsibility to the party structure. A committee was formed to prepare a new constitution with recommendations for a better party organization.
The way the decision was taken underlines the authoritarian streak in the PTI chief. No formal party committee having the authority to dismantle the entire party structure issued the directive. The directive came from “senior PTI leadership” which was in fact an informal gathering of handpicked government leaders. Interestingly a number of ‘senior’ leaders were turncoats recruited from other parties who had nothing to do with the PTI before 2018.
How many dejected PTI enthusiasts will accept the explanation remains to be seen. The PM has meanwhile tried to divert their attentions from the fiasco in KP by recounting what he considers to be an achievement worth mentioning. His latest Tweet recounts the restoration of “the historic Monroe hiking trail” in KP “under our vision of promoting Eco Tourism… traversing 50 km of pristine natural forest with two overnight glamp sites.” At a time when the people are complaining about unbearably high prices of essential food items and unemployment, Khan seems to be cut off from social reality as he talks about scenic spots and lush green forests.
