• U turn is hallmark of a great leader: Imran Khan 

By Aryan Khan

Being in power as prime minister of the country and saying “I am not here to look after and control prices of potatoes and onions” to highlighting prices of household commodities and inflation in his speeches at digital media, blaming his successors in government as a failed and incompetent government on daily basis, Imran Khan is about to complete century of U turns as according to Khan himself ”U turn is hallmark of a great leader”.

After failing to prove majority in the National Assembly, the narrative of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) Chairman has changed 180 degrees. While addressing a huge rally in Islamabad prior to voting on “no confidence motion” he had waived a paper taking out of his pocket claimed as American Cypher stating “ this no confidence motion is imported from America by leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement(PDM) with help of traitors Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq.” Later on he got the motion disqualified through National Assembly, dissolved the house asking President to call general elections. However, that decision was reversed by Supreme Court ordering time and date of voting on no confidence motion.

Resultantly Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz President Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif got elected as prime minister with help of PDM coalition parties and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Khan rephrased the cypher narrative stating” Mohsin Naqvi being the readopted son of Co- Chairman PPP Asif Ali Zardari is rewarded for playing a major role in regime change and appointed as Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab”. Later on Khan took another U turn on regime change stating “Cypher diplomacy was at first exported from Pakistan to America and later on imported”.
When PTI chairman was in power, he used to praise army chief in public gatherings stating “they were on one page”. But when he was ousted from government, he started blaming the same chief for each and every failure of his government stating” decisions were taken by him as he was the super boss”.

Khan who is a cricketer turned politician is still playing with the minds of his political workers in particular who are fans of his charismatic persona. Resultantly the economy, future and stability of the country is at stake. Before coming to power, he used to say he was well aware of the problems being faced by the country and its potential and he had best team available who would change the fate of the country in no time but when in power he would say “I was not knowing the situation is too worst”.

Before coming to power, he used to give lectures on simplicity but when in power, he used to travel on helicopter from Banigala residence to prime minister office Islamabad. Then he would say ”he would prefer suicide instead of begging money from friendly countries and loans from IMF” but his government had taken record loans more than any other previous governments and accepted IMF loans even on more strict conditions than previous governments and violated the same IMF agreement after every review. Consequences of the same are still faced by current government and poor masses of the country in terms of high inflation, unemployment and economic instability.

After ousted from power, the then finance minister Shoukat Tareen with help of finance ministers KPK and Punjab had written letters to IMF portraying poor state of economy and the country at brink of default. From a democratic politician and a staunch believer of civilian supremacy to requesting army and establishment of the country to help him in coming back to power, Khan is still busy in taking U turns. During the premiership, he used to arrest opposition leaders on different charges claiming it rule of law and across the board accountability but he is using his political workers as human shield so that law enforcement agencies are unable to arrest him.

Giving lectures on simplicity and traveling on helicopter from Banigala to Prime Minister office Islamabad is U turn of the century

He is running a campaign against current government and maligning state institutions. Before appearing in Islamabad High Court on May 9, 2023, he motivated his followers to come out of their homes on streets and protest for Haqiqi Azadi if he is arrested. Resultantly the charged and frustrated protestors(cult followers) burned and damaged sensitive buildings and military installations including General Headquarters, PAF base Mianwali and Jinnah House(residence of Corps Commander Lahore) in the garb of protests and humiliated and broken the Shuhada’s monuments who are pride of the nation and have laid their lives defending the motherland. But he disowned his workers the very next moment.

He had all the plans to spread chaos, anarchy and civil war in the country but he failed as state institutions have behaved with maturity and did not open gunfire on the charged mob. When the government decided to deal the rioters involved in damaging the state installations, he took plea of human rights and started a propaganda against police that women were being raped in jails and treated unethically which is recently exposed as false and baseless by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Punjab I.G Dr. Usman Anwar. The so called believers of rule of law are violating the same rule and law of the state on daily basis and have refused to appear and join investigations of police. However, they are still busy in spreading propaganda on twitter as Khan have asked them to disappear from the scene for some time.

PTI chairman despite opposing suggestions of his party leaders dissolved two provincial assemblies and later on blamed General Bajwa for the same. The same general whom he still balmes for deceiving him. Khan very successfully has damaged the political culture of the country by calling his opponents with bad names and derogatory remarks against them. He has used religion for his politics as he is advised to give islamic touch in his speeches.

He has tried to divide the nation rather than uniting it being a huge public figure and a leader. He has successfully spoiled the ethics, norms and culture of the youth who are his strong supporters and followers taking another u turn as he claims a leader is like father of the nation and he teaches them manners, ethics and history.
The writer is student of BS Journalism, semester 8 at School of Communication Studies, Punjab University, Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]