Daily Times

After the no-confidence vote resulting in loss of power, Imran Khan is most restive. Commenting on a politician’s personality is an accepted norm in almost all democracies since he’s a public figure. Khan has serious personality limitations. He doesn’t possess the mental makeup of a politician. By observing him during the recent few years that he was in power, it’s easy to comment on his personality. He is tempestuous, egomaniac, dictatorial by nature and tiresomely full of himself. He has no patience for dissenting views.

Presently, Imran Khan is lodged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and planning his moves. He’s a man in a hurry and cannot see himself out of power. Either he’s in power or nobody else is; it’s his unshakeable belief. The number of Imran Khan’s followers in his power shows is dwindling. Hence, it’s time for him to collect his ragtag followers from KPK and march on to Islamabad to prove his strength. Chief Minister KPK has even threatened to use his province’s official force if the federal government created impediments in the way of the so-called a million march towards Islamabad.

Now imagine the other side of the story. It spans over the years since IK was imposed upon the nation as the prime minister. Immediately after becoming the premier, he kicked off his vengeful campaign against his political opponents by using NAB and the FIA. It is said that when the then DG FIA Bashir Memon was ordered by Imran Khan to institute fake cases against his opponents, Memon opted to resign instead of succumbing to illegal orders. Without any doubt, Memon is a man of integrity, honesty and uprightness! A high-ranking government official possessing such qualities is a rare breed. He deserves to be the next Chairman of NAB if the organisation’s credibility is to be restored in the public eyes.

The beasts of burden have to work for long hours to feed the massive bureaucratic setups of various shades.

The tax-paying business community looks at the tumultuous political situation in the last about four and half years from a different angle. The government instead of providing the business people with a peaceful environment to go about their daily business affairs only created disturbance and commotion. A state of uncertainty in the air doesn’t encourage commercial organisations to take long-term decisions in their business interest, which is also the national interest. After all, the governments run on public taxes. The FBR last year mentioned that 85 per cent of public taxes were allocated for the defence budget and for paying interest on the loans. PTI had sought Supreme Court permission for another long march in Islamabad to press for elections. The court, however, returned the petition that asked for protection from the law enforcers during the next phase of the long march. The PTI petition stated, “Freedom of movement, and the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right of all citizens of Pakistan, under the Constitution of the country”. This raises a serious question.

When the constitution provides the right of freedom of movement and peaceful protests to a group of citizens, does it not guarantee at the same time peace and tranquillity to the business houses and commercial centres in the surrounding areas to carry on with their usual business activities uninterrupted? The Honourable Robed Authority is expected to provide equal rights to all citizens – those who want to stage protests and those who want to earn their honest living through sweat and hard work. Protests and demonstrations in the middle of crowded cities must be banned in the public interest.

A large majority of the people are uninterested in participating in and watching the unruly protests. This segment of the society has to earn its living, pay school and college fees for its children and pay skyrocketing utility bills, besides various taxes to the government. This class can be termed as the beasts of burden. It has to work for long hours to feed the massive bureaucratic setups of various shades. Even the mid-level bureaucrats live in palatial houses and they have officially provided luxury vehicles, with free petrol, at their disposal. The toiling citizens who put in mental and physical labour to make the lives of the upper classes more luxurious compared with their counterparts even in the developed world do deserve some sympathy.

Imran Khan will do well not to disturb peace in the country. He has played his inning, good or bad; it’s for the people to judge. Besides, he has nothing to show for his performance during the years his government was in power. Forgive me, my hunch is that henceforth IK would not taste power in the near future but will remain a successful rabble-rouser.

The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and can be reached at pinecity@gmail.com