The Trojan horse…..By Malik Muhammad Ashraf

General Aslam Baig in his biography Iqtedar ki Majborian written by Colonel Ashfaq Hussain has removed the haze on some historic events in the power game. In regards to the ouster of Nawaz Sharif twice from power in October 1999 and July 2017, he says on page 245 of the book He (Nawaz Sharif) gave an effective response to India by conducting nuclear explosions but ended up in exile for eight years, became prime minister again but eased out of power through a conspiracy. In 1999 it was a military coup like the previous ones but his exit from power in 2017 was surely a sequel to a conspiracy in which Imran Khan allowed himself to be used as a Trojan Horse for the implementation of the objectives of that sinister plan. The self-styled revolutionary fell to the lures of power by compromising on his declared revolutionary agenda. The success of the conspiracy paved the way for Imrans rise to power as a result of allegedly rigged elections. The establishment fully backed him during his three-and-half-year power tenure but he failed to come up to its expectations. The economy was in shambles. The country witnessed burgeoning political instability and discontentment among the masses due to the failure of his government to arrest galloping inflation. His politics of vendetta and sham accountability process which targeted the opposition leaders created conditions for his downfall. Consequently, the PDM was formed with the sole objective of having him removed.

The verdict to disqualify Nawaz Sharif was a travesty of justice. The petition was regarding the properties purchased in London by the Sharif family through money laundering. When the JIT failed to come up with credible evidence to authenticate the charges based on which the petition was filed, the court convicted him for not disclosing his employment in the Dubai-based Capital FZE Company owned by his son in his nomination papers in the 2013 general elections. The verdict invoked scathing criticism from the majority of constitutional experts. As against it, in a similar case, Imran Khan was provided relief by CJ Saqib Nisar by declaring him sadiq and ameen Former CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry commenting on the court decision asserted that the court had given different verdicts in the two similar cases and Imran Khan surely had been provided relief. All the foregoing facts are links in the chain of the conspiracy General Baig has mentioned in his biography.

Imrans entire politics has been based on false narratives and incessant U-turns. Surprisingly he has been able to resurrect his popularity by selling a false narrative of a foreign conspiracy against his government though, in the end, he has retracted from that rhetoric. Thanks to PDM which by having him removed from power provided him the opportunity to remain relevant to the political landscape of the country. In my writings, during the PDM movement against him, I repeatedly said that the tradition of destabilising a sitting government must end and the government is allowed to complete its mandated period as it was imperative to strengthen democracy and political stability which was vital for economic progress. Had the PDM parties allowed him to complete his tenure he would surely have faded into obscurity due to his failures to bring the promised change in the system of governance and provide desired relief to the masses.

The current political crisis fomented by him is nothing but sheer power politics in which the welfare of the people and the good of the state do not matter much. The country is undoubtedly wading through an unprecedented political and economic crisis which warrants sanity on the part of all the politicians and finding a solution to it through their collective wisdom. It is only possible when false egos are abandoned and national interests are given priority over narrow political agendas that are being pursued. The reality is that all the political leaders including Imran Khan are chips of the same block and their sole aim is to clinch political power. However greater blame for the current situation rests on the shoulders of Imran Khan who has shown a perpetual propensity to defy the constitution and democratic norms. But there is no dearth of pseudo-intellectuals who continue to project him as a messiah.

Imran Khan may be popular for all the wrong reasons but he is not conscientious. His followers and promoters need to scratch their consciences.

Courtsey The Nation