Daily Times

Despite continued scepticism among television anchors and media pundits in Pakistan, the PTI chairman, Imran Khan, insists that his press conference on Friday has produced a more confident campaign with a clearer message, focused on electoral rigging rather than the government propaganda claiming he had been making false allegations. This new strategy reverses the campaign’s earlier rope-a-dope approach, which tried to keep the focus on ousting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Earlier this month, Imran Khan, the relentless candidate of patriotic hymns, used a whiteboard to contrast his negotiating plans when he met Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq.
While Imran remains cloistered on the container, his senior aides and informal political advisers are weighing options to counteract the intense backlash of his unproven allegations in his press conference on Friday. Imran’s key aides and others who consult closely with each other are split among those who believe the chairman must speak out further on the election commission controversy and those who believe he can safely brush off criticism that his speech was insufficiently reliable. The first group believes Imran should say more, possibly with evidence, while others say the safest course is to stay mum and count on the generosity of a public that is weary of discussion about so far unproved allegations against the judiciary and wants no more details of the controversy.
Advisers and senior PTI party members differ in the discussions and no decision about whether Imran should speak out further is due in the next agenda. More imminently, Imran is still not weighing whether to cut his public gatherings and public appearances. One idea would have him focus on issues, go to court and agree to a judicial commission enquiry to confirm rigging in rhe last election. Imran has always overcome personal and political controversy in the past by returning to politics on popular issues but some aides fear that the current clamour may drown out all efforts to change the subject.
The Prime Minister (PM), according to several sources familiar with his deliberations, is also vexed by political contradictions. Public opinion polls that have always played a central role in plotting the PML-N’s strategy show poor majorities are tolerant of Nawaz Sharif’s familial dynasty and reject his promises for an economically strong Pakistan in the future. Reluctantly, several of his advisers also acknowledge being shaken by what they call “rising public opinion” ranging from infamous slogans like “go Nawaz go” becoming lastingly popular to the newspaper editorial writers that are becoming considerably more hostile towards the government on national issues and diplomatic ties with India than they anticipated.
When Nawaz Sharif tried to coordinate a negotiation strategy it was riven by his senior party leader’s dissension. Tensions that first emerged in the opening days of the sit-ins over Sharif’s resignation controversy between his political and legal teams largely over the tight control on the PTI in Islamabad have risen anew in recent days. Intelligence agencies, according to sources, have urged the PM and his advisers to recognise that Imran’s allegations are moving to a new stage and that greater coordination between the army and other political parties is required. This has led to a string of back door meetings with the PPP, JUI-F and other political party leaders to form a response to the alarming message. The PM’s political aides and external advisers familiar with their thinking believe that intelligence reports have not been merely unforthcoming but actively misleading. Whereas insiders have assured the PM lately that Imran’s future strategies involve catching them off guard by unexpected lines of inquiry, some of the PM’s advisers are weary and are no longer certain that what the agencies tell them is true.
With Islamabad increasingly focused on a likely political showdown on November 30, Nawaz Sharif summoned a group of loyalists from cabinet to his office for what participants described as a wide-ranging discussion on how the government should deal with the imminent political threat. Hanging over this discussion and others, according to participants, was a common understanding that a forceful stance intended to handle the matter can instead provoke new hostility. Apparently, the PM emerged angry from the meeting on having to give up his most combative instincts. While many PM loyalists said they understand this anger and even share it, giving a threatening voice to the PTI’s response is unwise. They believe the government’s attack on Imran will undermine the future PM House’s efforts to dismiss Imran’s allegations as a partisan document. They also said that forcing other PML-N leaders to rebuke Imran’s earlier misstatements would dent the credibility of the PTI at this critical moment.
But critics assert that the effectiveness of the PM House’s spin is less important than Nawaz Sharif demonstrating to the public that he is undeterred by Imran and his allegations and is focusing on public business. But there is no way he can ever win the battle; the important thing is to show the country is that he is working on issues they care about. Nawaz Sharif will have a harder time getting his message out when the army and media are closely monitoring his leadership skills on foreign policy and diplomatic stance towards India.
The nature of running a protest campaign is that you are communicating directly with the people. Campaigns that are about specifics, particularly in today’s environment, get tripped up. But aides believe there is a way for Imran Khan to present a vision of justice and discipline starkly different than Nawaz Sharif can provide to voters. At the end of the day, voters are going to have to decide: do they want to clean up the mess right now, or do they want to wait another four years, when it is even worse? Do they want business as usual or do they really want to tackle the big challenges for a change?”
Even as the country eagerly wants closure to this controversy, a majority of Pakistanis believe this is not being blown out of proportion. It is not yet clear how this can be achieved given the inevitability of Imran’s determination and the public debate it will spur. Lately, defaming political rivals has become common in the country and has replaced lawful behaviour. Voters should reject this kind of behaviour as immoral, illegal, illogical and un-Islamic, and remind wise figures that such a trend is dangerous for the country.

The writer is a professor of Psychiatry and consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the UK. He can be contacted at fawad_shifa@yahoo.com