Nightfall in the valley of Margallas brings some respite from the unbearable temperatures during the day. Leaves are beginning to change colour; soon, they will fall. For the keen observer, it seems politics in the valley is mirroring weather patterns.
Despite having a formal mandate of five years, Imran Khan’s administration still can’t find its feet and continues to limp along. This limp is beginning to wear them down; it was expected that they would flying by now. The party that promised to herald in much-needed change could have altered the national landscape with its political hegemony, but the opposite seems to be true.
Consider.
Nearly every day Prime Imran Khan reiterates that he will not give an NRO (or a concession) to his opponents. But his ferocious denials seem to have no effect on dissipating the rumours about deals being offered by the powers that be to main opposition parties. Despite these terse statements, people can sense uneasiness and tension in Imran Khan’s camp. “Khan is in deep depression because Zardari and Sharifs are being approached for reconciliation without his consent,” said a government source while talking to this scribe.
Stories of poor governance, conflict of interest, lack of capacity, moral turpitude, corruption of ministers and other un-elected top guns in Imran’s administration are being discussed by the cabal of TV anchors known for their shady links. These are the media gladiators who used to paint Khan’s administration rosy; now it seems they are attacking the same administration they helped usher in. The “positive reporting” phase seems to be coming to an end. This sudden freedom to expose poor governance by Khan’s administration can’t be without a reason and a nod.
The mood of the higher judiciary also seems to be changing. Justice Qazi Faez Isa is getting some relief. Chief Justice Khosa’s speech at the start of the judicial year raising questions about a lopsided accountability process, and the defiance by the chief election commissioner also seems to have weakened the Khan’s administration. Nothing seems to be going well, internally and in the international arena.
On Monday, an extraordinary access was granted to three top PML-N leaders, Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal, for a detailed meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at Kotlakhpat jail. This interaction is quite meaningful because the government had restricted meetings with the former premier. Only family members were allowed to see him, and that too on Thursdays. Party insiders who claim to know details of the meeting insist that Sharif is not budging. He refuses to cut any deal that would tarnish his political legacy and restrict him and his heir apparent Maryam Nawaz Sharif to a “silent exile.” For now Nawaz Sharif is holding his ground. On Wednesday, when the Islamabad High Court began hearing petitions against the Al-Azizia verdict, Sharif’s lead counsel Khawaja Harris used delaying tactics so that the case would not proceed at a faster pace. “They want a change of baton in the Supreme Court before they approach it to review some observations in the Judge Arshad Malik’s case. This means that Nawaz Sharif will stay in jail for at least the end of this year,” said a prominent court reporter.
Despite PPP’s refusal to join the Islamabad lockdown and the ambivalence shown towards it by the PML-N’s leadership, Maulana Fazalur Rehman is still sticking to his plans for a march next month. But the fact that he has not yet announced a date suggests that there is still some wiggle-room.
There are rumours that the Maulana is being approached by people from Gulf countries as well as by local interlocutors to change his mind. He is also being threatened with detention. Given the internal and external situation, the possibilities of success for coercive measures to stop the Maulana don’t look too bright.
“Either Imran Khan’s government reinvents itself and makes a miraculous recovery in governance and economy in a few months or it opens the doors to the twilight zone,” says a veteran analyst.
The PPP remains under pressure with renewed calls for the federal government taking over the province, arrest of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah despite Bilawal Bhutto’s clear stance that his party won’t join the Maulana’s lockdown in Islamabad, and Faryal Talpur welcoming the extension of the army chief on the Sindh Assembly floor. On Wednesday, the NAB arrested former leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah. The PPP leadership feels that his arrest was also aimed at pressurizing the party to stay away from any agitation against Imran Khan’s administration in the coming months.
“There are many possibilities but if things don’t improve, there might be an in-house change or the door opens for mid-term polls next year,” said an analyst.
Next week, Prime Minister Imran Khan will head to New York along with a cabal of ministers and advisors to attend the UN General Assembly where he is scheduled to meet President Trump. Pakistan’s foreign policy is in shambles after the scrapping of Article 370 and 35-A by Modi’s government. In his last meeting, President Trump had delivered the news of mediation on the Kashmir dispute. Imran had likened his meeting and the announcement by President Trump to winning the second world cup. This time around, when Trump is supposed to join Modi in a rally in the US, what message will Khan receive? What is clear is that Khan’s administration stands in a cul-de-sac both domestically as well as internationally.
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad
Despite having a formal mandate of five years, Imran Khan’s administration still can’t find its feet and continues to limp along. This limp is beginning to wear them down; it was expected that they would flying by now. The party that promised to herald in much-needed change could have altered the national landscape with its political hegemony, but the opposite seems to be true.
Consider.
Nearly every day Prime Imran Khan reiterates that he will not give an NRO (or a concession) to his opponents. But his ferocious denials seem to have no effect on dissipating the rumours about deals being offered by the powers that be to main opposition parties. Despite these terse statements, people can sense uneasiness and tension in Imran Khan’s camp. “Khan is in deep depression because Zardari and Sharifs are being approached for reconciliation without his consent,” said a government source while talking to this scribe.
Stories of poor governance, conflict of interest, lack of capacity, moral turpitude, corruption of ministers and other un-elected top guns in Imran’s administration are being discussed by the cabal of TV anchors known for their shady links. These are the media gladiators who used to paint Khan’s administration rosy; now it seems they are attacking the same administration they helped usher in. The “positive reporting” phase seems to be coming to an end. This sudden freedom to expose poor governance by Khan’s administration can’t be without a reason and a nod.
The mood of the higher judiciary also seems to be changing. Justice Qazi Faez Isa is getting some relief. Chief Justice Khosa’s speech at the start of the judicial year raising questions about a lopsided accountability process, and the defiance by the chief election commissioner also seems to have weakened the Khan’s administration. Nothing seems to be going well, internally and in the international arena.
On Monday, an extraordinary access was granted to three top PML-N leaders, Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal, for a detailed meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at Kotlakhpat jail. This interaction is quite meaningful because the government had restricted meetings with the former premier. Only family members were allowed to see him, and that too on Thursdays. Party insiders who claim to know details of the meeting insist that Sharif is not budging. He refuses to cut any deal that would tarnish his political legacy and restrict him and his heir apparent Maryam Nawaz Sharif to a “silent exile.” For now Nawaz Sharif is holding his ground. On Wednesday, when the Islamabad High Court began hearing petitions against the Al-Azizia verdict, Sharif’s lead counsel Khawaja Harris used delaying tactics so that the case would not proceed at a faster pace. “They want a change of baton in the Supreme Court before they approach it to review some observations in the Judge Arshad Malik’s case. This means that Nawaz Sharif will stay in jail for at least the end of this year,” said a prominent court reporter.
Despite PPP’s refusal to join the Islamabad lockdown and the ambivalence shown towards it by the PML-N’s leadership, Maulana Fazalur Rehman is still sticking to his plans for a march next month. But the fact that he has not yet announced a date suggests that there is still some wiggle-room.
There are rumours that the Maulana is being approached by people from Gulf countries as well as by local interlocutors to change his mind. He is also being threatened with detention. Given the internal and external situation, the possibilities of success for coercive measures to stop the Maulana don’t look too bright.
“Either Imran Khan’s government reinvents itself and makes a miraculous recovery in governance and economy in a few months or it opens the doors to the twilight zone,” says a veteran analyst.
The PPP remains under pressure with renewed calls for the federal government taking over the province, arrest of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah despite Bilawal Bhutto’s clear stance that his party won’t join the Maulana’s lockdown in Islamabad, and Faryal Talpur welcoming the extension of the army chief on the Sindh Assembly floor. On Wednesday, the NAB arrested former leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah. The PPP leadership feels that his arrest was also aimed at pressurizing the party to stay away from any agitation against Imran Khan’s administration in the coming months.
“There are many possibilities but if things don’t improve, there might be an in-house change or the door opens for mid-term polls next year,” said an analyst.
Next week, Prime Minister Imran Khan will head to New York along with a cabal of ministers and advisors to attend the UN General Assembly where he is scheduled to meet President Trump. Pakistan’s foreign policy is in shambles after the scrapping of Article 370 and 35-A by Modi’s government. In his last meeting, President Trump had delivered the news of mediation on the Kashmir dispute. Imran had likened his meeting and the announcement by President Trump to winning the second world cup. This time around, when Trump is supposed to join Modi in a rally in the US, what message will Khan receive? What is clear is that Khan’s administration stands in a cul-de-sac both domestically as well as internationally.
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad