The first anniversary of the attacks on military installations and martyrs’ memorials by PTI activists, apparently to protest the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan, does not seem to have brought any of the softening necessary to put the event behind not just the two parties involved, but the entire nation. The anniversary has been officially marked by a meeting of the Federal Cabinet expressing solidarity with the armed forces, and by the PTI, not at all. However, two days before, the DG ISPR said that the Army could engage in talks with the PTI if it apologized for the May 9 outrages. This itself must be seen in the light of the reports that the PTI had appointed a three-man team to talk to the military. The very next day, the day before the anniversary, Mr Khan told reporters at Adiala Jail that he did not feel that he had to apologize for anything, and that if anything, he was owed the apology. He said that if the military did not want to negotiate, then there was no forcing them.
Mr Khan should realize that his kneejerk reaction reflects exactly the kind of obduracy that cost him the Prime Ministership. It reflects the kind of no-holds-barred take-no-prisoners kind of rhetoric that may go down well with the voter base, but which prevents the kind of dialogue that is the lifeblood of politics. His desperation to keep the military engaged, and thus involved in politics, reflects the kind of traditional politics that his supporters decry so much. His desire to involve the military, even though, as the COAS has said, it will keep to its constitutionally prescribed role, reflects a hankering after a past which should not be revived.
The PTI’s appeal to the military is meant to satisfy its base, which believes it can only come back to power once it is back on the same page. Mr Khan’s remarks are a tacit admission that the party is in a hole because of what happened in May 9 last year. There is a strong belief that Mr Khan was attempting a coup. Mr Khan should realise that that impression must be dispelled before the country can move on. If he is intrinsically unable to offer the requisite apology, he must prepare never to be forgiven, with all that means for him and his party.
