The stress caused by the ongoing crisis is evidently getting to Prime Minister Imran Khan. His politicking is depriving him of the high moral ground that he once claimed. The PM is unfortunately presenting himself as a run of the mill politician who is willing to compromise on his own ideals to remain in power. PM Imran Khan has all these days badmouthed party dissenters, some of whom had long been critical of his policies in NA, accusing them of selling their conscience for money. According to him, bags filled with stacks of money were being given to buy the loyalties of his lawmakers. PTI leaders have called the dissenters prostitutes and pimps and the Sindh House, where some of them had taken shelter, a brothel. The PTI has issued notices to fourteen asking them to explain why they may not be declared defectors and disqualified as members of the National Assembly. Speaking at Dargai the PM first said he would rather give up his government than “compromising on his conscience” while in the same breath he expressed readiness to forgive the dissenters like a “compassionate father!” In other words Imran Khan’s conscience is willing to allow them to keep the millions they had received and still forgive them provided they retract and agree to keep him in power. The government wants SC to impose a lifelong bar on contesting elections on those who refuse to return to the fold of the pure.
In his Dargai address Imran Khan lauded India for having an ‘independent’ foreign policy which he said was favourable to Indian people. Does this imply that Pakistan didn’t have an independent foreign policy during the last three years and if so, who is to be held responsible if not the PTI and its leadership? Is indulgence in heroics while dealing with foreign powers a display of independent foreign policy? Is it sensible to openly refuse bases to US when these had not been asked for openly? Is it sensible to criticize EU in a public gathering instead of dealing with differences diplomatically?
