The bouncer at Devil’s Advocate

Noted  Indian TV commentator and interviewer Karan Thapar’s hard talk with Imran Khan is all the rage with both the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s supporters and detractors hitching a ride, signifying there’s never a dull moment in Pakistani politics. Drawn into how he would address the civil-military relationship imbalance, here’s what Khan said on CNN-IBN’s Devil’s Advocate hosted by Thapar: “Unless I can implement my agenda - which means I take responsibility for everything that’s happening in Pakistan, it means the ISI can do nothing unless it reports to me, it means that the army’s budget is audited by a civilian set-up, it means I take responsibility that no terrorism will take place from Pakistan soil.”Thapar also cleverly posed a question that guaranteed a headline grab. Asked specifically, if he would be (Army chief General Ashfaq) Kayani’s boss were he to become prime minister, Khan put the arithmetic at “100%”. Not done, Khan went on to elaborate on what has been a burning question and will likely remain for some time to come: his alleged sponsorship by the establishment. “I have never, ever been controlled by anyone. (If) people give me the mandate to be the prime minister, I’ll not be someone’s puppet — people know me for 35 years, I have never been controlled by anyone.”And what if he cannot deliver on his word? Khan responded, without batting an eyelid: “I would much rather resign.”Before one ventures to give one’s two paisas on the latest albeit sensational episode that will keep “Big Boss” Imran Khan Season One alive (after 14 years trying to get the show started), one would like to point out the dubious nature of criticism directed at Khan viz-a-viz the alleged establishment sponsorship.Veteran Pakistani journalist Nazir Naji spent a good minute or two sniggering at the “skipper-speak” during a private TV talk show entitled Lekin (But) recently, suggesting in unflattering terms that Khan knew not the first thing about “statecraft” and had thoroughly exposed his naïveté. One mentions Naji here as someone offering a representative view among seasoned critics corresponding to the poser about Khan’s moorings and apparently, linear approach. Until the candid take on Devil’s Advocate, the grouse among the intelligentsia and chattering class as a whole was that the PTI chief was a child of the establishment, which is why they alleged, he was evasive on holding the grimy generals to account when calling for the heads of the politically corrupt.  Khan did more than just answer the critics interested to know about who was bedding who. He can be accused of being naïve as he is wont to when more “pragmatic” responses could carry the day, but then that’s the nature of the man. He is inclined to speak the language of the heart, often at the risk of collateral damage to his own political ambition. If anything, he is certainly not mentored in the ways of say, the pro-establishment Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid chief Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, that wily old fox of Pakistani politics, even if he enjoyed Hussain’s rather succinct joke about “dry-cleaned” politicians lining up to embrace Khan’s PTI. To give the devils their due, the posers made by Thapar were pointed to the extent that these allowed no room for any Clintonic deviation, and Khan minced no words either.  Given how some pundits have responded to the Devil’s Advocate contents, it seems the pronounced agent of change will have to continue facing doublespeak. At first, he was derided as a tool of the establishment for failing to denounce the military’s overreach in the political arena. Now, that he has directly addressed these, he is charged with being a novice in “statecraft”!     To be sure, Khan’s assertion about stamping his feet on the line were he to rise to the coveted high office by some miracle does appear unrealistic. The large military complex in this South Asian nation of 180mn has long proven a chastening nursery for many a budding aspirant of change. However, this does not mean no attempt should be made to create an opening and keep pushing the envelope. Contrast the labelling of Khan as an agent of the establishment with the contradictory plaudits the same experts reserve for the “brilliant craft” of the incumbent president, Asif Zardari, in turning the fortunes of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party around. Brand Zardari is singularly credited with having changed the contours of the party’s erstwhile anti-establishment mien to one of pro-establishment, which has helped it continue in power for the longest time since Zulfikar Ali Bhutto guided the ship. There is little doubt about this particular genius, which prompted Javed Hashmi, a close aide of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, to famously suggest one needed a PhD to understand the politics of President Zardari.The establishment connection in democracy has been a marked feature of Pakistani polity over decades. While it factored substantially in the past, it is difficult to imagine it would be as telling in this day and age of the media in Pakistan, where people are much more informed and hopefully, able to see through such designs. The Osama bin Laden episode, to name just one instance, did much to dent the image of the security apparatus, thanks to the power and reach of the media. That it is still a force to reckon with cannot be denied but perhaps, it is an exaggeration to suggest it could completely alter the landscape in the presence of an informed citizenry, independent judiciary and a powerful media. For the discerning, one only has to look back at this year’s turnaround where the armed forces were compelled to appear before an elected parliament to explain their failure in the Osama episode - however symbolic it may have been - and later seek refuge behind an All Party Conference showcasing a who’s who of the country’s political mainstream to ward off American pressure.Potentially, Khan is the security establishment’s favourite candidate for his stance on terrorism which mirrors its own but one wonders how it feels about the PTI chief pressing home the advantage on who will be big boss.

- The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad and can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.com