Daily Times

When we take a glance at the political life of Imran Khan, the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), it appears to be a tapestry woven with contradictions. On one side, his political career is a compilation of conflicts, while on the other, he has persistently accused others in his political journey. He has even been called a “U-turn master,” claiming one thing only to reverse it later. In the case of his rise to power, Imran Khan asserted that he would not approach the IMF (International Monetary Fund) like the governments of the past. He stated that if such a situation were to arise, he would prefer self-destruction over seeking assistance from the IMF. Not only did he imply going to the IMF, but he also continued to blame his adversaries for it.

Imran Khan has consistently labelled others as thieves and tarnished the reputations of political leaders, referring to them as corrupt and fraudulent. However, the reality of Imran Khan lies in the fact that he was involved in a minute scandal related to his assets, leading the court not only to declare him ineligible for political office but also to sentence him to five years in prison.

Let’s talk about his U-turns. In 2013, Imran Khan accused Najam Sethi of rigging 35 constituencies, but when the investigation into the 35 constituencies was initiated after he came to power, he claimed he was merely making a political allegation and had no evidence. In 2015, Imran Khan boycotted the assembly, only to return eight months later and take his oath in the same assembly. In 2016, he boycotted parliament for an extended period, then abruptly ended it, and during this time, he continued to receive salaries from parliament.

Imran Khan continuously called his opponents thieves and robbers, addressing them with derogatory terms, even though he was implicated in a theft case in the Toshakhana (gift depository).

About a year and a half before being ousted by opposition parties in the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement), Imran Khan accused the United States of America of a conspiracy against his government. However, later, in an interview with a foreign media outlet, he stated that he does not blame the USA for the end of his government.

When Imran Khan was the Prime Minister, we constantly heard praises for General Bajwa, but as soon as he was out of power, he flipped the narrative, calling General Bajwa a “neutral animal” and labelling him as “Mir Sadiq” and “Mir Jafar,” suggesting they were traitors to the nation.

If we scrutinize Imran Khan’s U-turns, there is a long list. He initially announced his acceptance of the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Panama Papers case but later raised objections to the investigative commission formed by the Supreme Court. He declared that he would not end his sit-in protest until the end of the government but then abruptly ended it after an attack on Army Public School.

In the last days of his power, he claimed that in public gatherings and waved a letter or cypher that the USA wanted to resolve his Government. However, when asked to produce evidence in court, he claimed it was just a piece of paper.

Imran Khan continuously called his opponents thieves and robbers, addressing them with derogatory terms, even though he was implicated in a theft case in the Toshakhana (gift depository). He claimed to be building a ‘State of Madina,’ but what kind of State of Madina was it, where he had to hide his marriage and his close associates and relatives became millionaires after his rise to power?

In the Al-Qadir Trust case, Bushra Bibi was found involved in a corruption of 90 million pounds, and he continued to label her as a simple housewife. The audio tapes where she was heard engaging in buying and selling on behalf of husband power, were also made public, revealing how she was using public money for her gains. Then, when the judiciary became active against him, they raised allegations against the judiciary and initiated a reference against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, only to later deny having initiated that reference and say that this reference was come by others not him. In short, Imran Khan was both a U-turn and corruption master, accusing others while maintaining duplicity in front of his supporters.

He writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.