Editorial: Back to pavilion
The natural instinct of any batsman on strike would be to remain at the crease and protect the wicket at any cost, through a combination of defensive and aggressive strategies. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan sought to employ similar tactics on the political crease but with a difference: he defied the rules of the game and even tried to subvert it by peddling a dangerous narrative. As a result, he is back to the pavilion after an ignominious exit from the field, becoming the first Prime Minister in Pakistan’s history to have been removed from office through a no-confidence vote. Like all his predecessors, he too could not complete his full term which, in itself, is a reflection of the fragile nature of democracy in a country remote-controlled by the army. After an intense drama in the National Assembly marked by a shameful display of defiance by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the opposition’s no-trust motion against the Prime Minister succeeded an hour past midnight on Sunday, with 174 members in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the resolution. Even after the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict, ordering restoration of the National Assembly and conduct of the trust vote, the Imran regime used all the dirty tricks to subvert the constitutional process. After it became clear that he lost majority, with the combined opposition moving a no-confidence motion last month, Imran spun a narrative that linked the democratic opposition against him with a conspiracy hatched by the US to overthrow him.
Using a routine diplomatic cable as a ruse to claim ‘foreign conspiracy’ to topple his government was a laughable tactic that put Pakistan’s diplomacy in a fix and damaged the country’s image in the world. Repeatedly addressing the nation, Imran kept peddling this dangerous narrative, blending anti-Americanism with religious nationalism. With his exit, Pakistan has now entered another phase of political uncertainty because the disparate opposition groups — a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties — have no common agenda on how to solve the country’s deep economic crisis. No doubt, Imran came to power in 2018 promising a ‘Naya Pakistan’ where corruption and dishonesty will have no place. Unfortunately, he has failed to deliver on those promises. Massive inflation, a by-product of his government’s economic mismanagement, has driven millions of Pakistanis into grinding poverty. GDP has fallen from $315 billion in 2018 to $292 billion in 2022. The ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index fell constantly during his regime. Imran’s failure can be attributed to his opportunism wrapped in moral garb, his narcissism, his burning desire for vendetta and his lack of experience.
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