Daily Times

On June 12 2018, Imran was due to depart for Umra to the Holy Land. For this holy pilgrimage, the ‘Honest Khan’ (HK for short) chartered a flight, taking his newly wedded wife, two of his friends and their wives. One of those friends is somebody called Zulfiqar Bokhari, better known as Zulfi. Apparently Zulfi had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) by NAB, and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) staff at the airport refused to let Zulfi leave.

All smiles, HK was unperturbed and made a couple of calls. The Interior Secretary promptly issued a letter granting Zulfi ‘one-time’ permission to ‘get holy’ alongside HK and, within the hour, the flight was permitted to leave with Zulfi on board. The incident reveals numerous things we should examine.

Foremost is the obvious fact that, among HK’s bosom pals, at least one is someone placed on the ECL. For the unaware, ECL is a mini-bail. When an accused applies for bail, the court considers numerous factors before deciding. All those factors hinge around one crucial fact i.e. the accused will present him/herself before the court when summoned. Placing an accused individual on the ECL is the government’s way of ensuring they don’t abscond to another country. What is that cliché about “the company one keeps”?

Was it possible that Zulfi was unaware that he was on the ECL? I don’t think so. And, if he knew, so did HK. It seems therefore that HK was supremely confident that exceptions could be made for anyone accompanying him. What could possibly give him that confidence?

Since the 2013 elections, HK has been constantly seeking, imploring, even begging, for a ‘third umpire’ to intervene and place him on the PM’s chair, since he could not win it in a honest election. Finally, Nawaz Sharif was disqualified.

Was it possible that Zulfi was unaware that he was on the ECL? I don’t think so. And, if he knew, so did Khan. It seems that Khan was supremely confident that exceptions could be made for anyone accompanying him. What could possibly give him that confidence?

HK was still not confident that he could win the next elections. He and the erstwhile CM of KP have both expressed their inclination towards a delay in the polls. Perhaps recent desertions in the PML(N) and the disarray that resulted, perhaps something more concrete than that; some development has given HK the supreme confidence that he pulled off this amazing ‘rescue’ of his friend. More importantly, it seems the Interior Secretary was also looking to ensure his future; which also says something.

It seems they all know something that we don’t.

But that’s not all. This incident demonstrates what HK expects when he is PM. His companions can be emplaced or removed from the ECL at his whim and without question or delay. He will be as imperious and dictatorial during his ‘rule’, as any of his predecessors, military or civilian. There will be no simplicity. He too will need his own aircrafts and road convoys which will hold up traffic for his convenience.

Presently, he is practicing how to be absolutely powerful. Shortly, he will be perfecting it.

There are also some supplementary questions that arise here; after all, he projects himself as Honest Khan. A couple of years ago, dailies carried details of the amount of income tax paid by all political bigwigs. If I recall correctly, HK had paid Rs 76,000 plus change; less than half my payment that year. Actually, I don’t think this amount could cover a single month’s electricity bill in the summers for his mansion.

HK points out that he is unemployed and has little income. And yet he can afford chartering a flight for holy pilgrimages? If I pay over twice the income tax he does, I must have about twice his income; right? But I can’t afford an annual Umra, let alone on a chartered and, undoubtedly, luxury aircraft. How can poor HK? Isn’t this also covered under “living beyond known means of income”? If so, what does NAB intend to do about it; or is NAB merely for nabbing HK’s opponents?

Perhaps his wealthy friend, Zulfi is the one paying for it. If so, there are more supplementary questions which need to be asked. Is that why Zulfi had to be taken along; why HK had to misuse the authority he does not have yet, but expects to have soon?

Furthermore, is Zulfi bearing these expenses from his legitimate honest earnings or those from dubious sources? Did HK consult any of his peers to inquire as to whether a pilgrimage carried out with money that may have come from misbegotten gains will be holy or not?

Personally, I have never had any expectations of HK, or “Im the Dim” in Oxford. I was disappointed by the frequency and pettiness of his prevarications, if not falsehoods, during his dharna days; merely because I would have liked to claim that we do have some honest, if incapable, politicians. But that too was not to be.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf can’t select Chief Ministers for KP or Punjab. It can’t decide on who to award tickets for the forthcoming elections and, where it does, it prefers recently joined turncoats to loyal party members. And, in awarding tickets HK ensures that even a loyal member who is likely to get elected, is denied a ticket because; if he wins, he will take on his own party leadership when they err.

What can I say? I don’t want to deny hope to people. To those who have pinned their hopes on the now-supremely-confident HK, I say hope, if you must, but hope gently.

The writer is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)

Published in Daily Times, June 15^th 2018.