Uncertainty rules

As had been expected, a day after PTI Chairman Imran Khan was attacked, he was back on TV – and computer – screens. While there was little new in most of what he said, the former prime minister did talk about Thursday’s attack. Per Imran the attack was planned by three people: PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior agency officer; and that the man arrested was not the main culprit or mastermind. The main takeaway from Imran’s speech is: he is not convinced of the lone wolf theory; he is still looking at institutional heads – the COAS and the CJ – to ‘play their role’ and put an end to the travails his party is going through; and the long march stands postponed for now, till Imran gets well enough.

There seems to be no end in sight then for the chaos reigning the political realm. The PTI doesn’t look like it will go on the backfoot; the government too seems to have decided it will not give in to the presumably immense pressure this attack has led to; and the month of November – which is probably the flame around which everyone is dancing – has only just started. The government has said it is open to complying with any investigation but the demands made by the PTI – that the prime minister, interior minister and a military official resign – are obviously impossible to meet. The call by the PTI leadership for the dismissal of the IG Police in Punjab is possibly more realistic. The Punjab government is after all led by PTI ally Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. An investigation must take place to ascertain the facts. Surprisingly, there is as yet no clarity on the FIR, with even Imran saying ‘people are ‘too scared’ to file an FIR. What is he implying? Does this mean that the PTI has no trust in Pervaiz Elahi’s government and Punjab’s administration?

As Imran waits to get better to give (yet) another call for a march towards Islamabad, he has asked his supporters to keep at their protests till the three people he named resign. Given the violence we have already seen, this is an alarming call for action by someone who should know better. Already, political polarization has taken on dangerous hues. Calls for violence against perceived ‘enemies’ in opposing political camps do not bode well for any party. In all this, instead of dousing the fire, Imran asking people to continue their protest while also repeating his statement regarding a ‘bloody revolution’ is the exact opposite of what should be done by political leaders right now. The PTI is angry as is the government. In such a heated-up cauldron of political sludge there is always the risk that even a few political supporters could end up creating havoc. Both PTI and government leaders need to show a great deal of maturity at this moment and think of the country before their own political interests. If nothing else, history has taught us that nothing good can come out of such sustained chaos in the country.