Daily Times

As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) anti-government campaign progresses despite the country being in a state of war, it is ironic that at a time when the nation needs complete unity and solidarity to fight an unconventional enemy, attempts should be made to undermine the strength of the nation. The PTI leaders continue making highly provocative speeches and instigating workers through their jalsas (rallies) and dharnas (sit-ins) and questioning the legality of the present PML-N government. As a citizen of Pakistan I have a right to ask questions from any political party and its leader. I want to ask a few questions of Imran Khan and his party members for my political knowledge building. There are a few questions that I think are crucial and I have put down about a dozen of them right now.

One: please define your stance clearly on the US and its policies around the world in general and Pakistan in particular. Concurrently, could you also shed light on funds that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been receiving for years and continues to receive for the education and health sectors from the US and other western countries? Two: on the one hand, you want a cordial working relationship with India but on the other hand you promote GHQ-devised policies. How does this not become self-contradictory? Three: are you an Islamic fundamentalist, social democrat or a conservative liberal? There is no clarity as to which school of thought you belong to. Four: in the general elections, and throughout your election campaign, you said if your party came to power you would end terrorism in 90 days. It has now been more than a year but the terrorism ratio is almost the same in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Deteriorating law and order with kidnapping for ransom and extortion are common in your province. Do you agree your slogans were a political stunt?

Five: may I remind you that once you were in favour of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Fakhruddin G Ibrahim and that you called him a “true” man. However, when Ibrahim could not deliver on your great expectations, you charged him with lame allegations that you have now repeated ad nauseam. Concurrently, former Chief Justice (CJ) of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was your great hero for constantly knocking down the initiatives of the PPP government. You also gave many statements in favour and support of the former CJ but after he did not give attention to your election petitions, you verbally blasted him as well. Do you not feel that you are confused about your political thoughts? Six: you claim that there was massive rigging in Karachi as well, but why is your ‘campaign’ focused on Punjab only? Does it not show that your campaign is not against rigging but just an excuse to topple the federal government and a personal vendetta against the Sharif brothers?

Seven: recently at your jalsa in Bahawalpur, through your speech, you conveyed a horrible message to police personnel that if they tried to stop or open fire on PTI workers then you will hang them with your bare hands. Tell me where, in any democracy, you have seen a party chairperson talking publicly about committing criminal offences? Is it not against humanity and, more importantly, are you not hitting out at one of the most important institutions of state? Do you think you are above the law? Eight: the PTI held rallies in almost all districts of Punjab like Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Bahawalpur and spent almost Rs 370 million on all these processions. Do you not think this money should have been spent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the people or given to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), charities and other members of the masses for their welfare rather than holding jalsas and dharnas? Nine: you always allege that you do not accept the election results as the exercise was rigged but you are also a part of this present setup and government. Your party is in power in Khyber Paktunkhwa and you are a member of the National Assembly (NA). Do you not think you should resign first from the NA and then table your demands? Ten: why do you not openly favour or oppose the military operation in North Waziristan? Why do you not openly speak against the Taliban? Do you feel you are in danger from them or is there something else that you are hiding from the public?

Eleven: you claim that your party consists of true leaders who do not have bogus backgrounds but one can see a number of lotas (turncoats) in your party who always surround you. If you wish I can name them with reference. What are your comments about them? Twelve: on the one hand, you claim that you want Pakistan to be an Islamic state but, on the other, the PTI’s secretary general claims that the PTI wants a Pakistan in accordance with the sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as enunciated in his speech on August 11, 1947. Could you clarify whether you want Pakistan to be an ‘Islamic’ state or a secular one? Concurrently, will your party work towards revoking the clearly discriminatory clauses of the 1973 Constitution that stop non-Muslims from becoming the head of the state or the government? Will you further work towards abolishing the discriminatory blasphemy laws and Hudood Ordinance? There are many questions to be asked but I will sum up my questions by praying and hoping that, in the coming years, the PTI will take a pluralist, democratic and green turn. I will wait on!

The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore and he can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com