There is nothing particularly unique or remotely surprising about PTI chief Imran Khan frequently backtracking and changing over statements and accusations he has made that, to begin with, he is mostly unable to back up with proof. This practice works well for him as it gives his followers and diehard supporters fresh fodder to remain interested. Additionally, it helps him mould a narrative that suits his ever-changing politics and plans.
His latest ‘U-turn’, that in ‘in light of new evidence’ the entire “US conspiracy” to remove him from office was conceived and ‘exported’, as in presented and pushed, to be executed by the Biden regime by former COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Until and unless that ‘evidence’ is presented in public, it remains an unsubstantiated and meaningless claim, just as the ones before. What we are currently left with is the political debris from the Imran-Bajwa saga. As per his own comments, the latter was heavily committed to bringing the former to power and maintaining him in that position until the relationship turned sour. Mr Khan, who believed he had the job security of at least one full term, is bitter at his premature departure from office and holds the person who brought him there as primarily responsible. That General Bajwa is no longer serving, makes it easier for Imran Khan to excoriate him in the manner which he is since the latter’s retirement. It is unlikely Mr Khan will stop here. He will continue to push and there may be some less frequent pushback -General Bajwa’s recent interview is a case in point -as well but definitely not the sort where the military’s PR arm fires back. It is important to understand that the ‘Bajwa doctrine’, which has inflicted a heavy blow to the political and economic stability of the country, did not spare the Army either; one can call it collateral damage. The armed forces, directly or indirectly, have remained politically active since independence. However, one is hard pressed to recall a time when the reputational fallout from its extracurricular activities was so severe. The only way to discourage such covert and overt, manipulations and violations of the Constitution is to bring to the fore what has transpired in the past and for punitive action be taken against those responsible on both sides of the divide. Short of this, business-as-usual is likely to persist.
