The hearing on the Toshakhana reference has begun. The reference filed on behalf of Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf seeks PTI chief Imran Khan’s lifelong disqualification from holding public office. Meanwhile the Election Commission of Pakistan has issued notices to Mr Khan and senior party leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar for using “intemperate and contemptuous remarks” against the electoral watchdog in recent speeches. Setting aside the PTI chief’s stand that he is not obligated to the FIA, the Agency has reportedly sent a second notice to him seeking the record of PTI’s financial details. FIA is authorized to arrest a person who fails to appear before it after receiving the third notice.
Mr Khan failed to realize that while one may come to power with the help of the establishment one will have to act afterwards as a junior partner. Once in PM House, the sycophants around Mr Khan started telling him that his personal charisma and unmatched political sense had attracted electables and smaller parties to the PTI. The mammoth crowds that gathered at his call further nurtured the bloated image of the self in the PTI chief. After consigning a fair number his political opponents to NAB, Imran Khan tried to dabble in the Army’s internal affairs too, which gave birth to resentment in the organization.
Long before coming to power the PTI had started using its social media teams to viciously attack its political rivals and media critics, employing the foulest vocabulary never used before. With Mr Khan blaming the Army for the fall of his government, its highly irresponsible social media teams turned their guns toward the Army. Instead of telling them to act responsibly, Mr Khan’s chief of staff Shahbaz Gill incited mutiny in the Army.
Mr Khan is unwilling to play the role of a responsible opposition leader. He has again said he cannot sit together with corrupt politicians comprising the leadership of the ruling alliance. He is however cool with some of the icons of dynastic politics like Ch Pervez Elahi and Shah Mehmud Qureshi. Mr Khan is still keen to make up with the Army and rule the country together. To prove that he still possesses formidable street power Khan gave the call for protests all over the country on Saturday. Despite the PTI ruling Punjab and KP the party failed to gather its much boasted millions.
