Imran Khan and US endgame in Afghanistan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan is no more a cricketer turned politician. He has suddenly become an important regional player in the US endgame in Afghanistan. A mind-blowing public rally of Imran Khan in Lahore on October 30 made it very difficult for the Zardari regime to make any new commitments or accept any demands from the US regarding its decade-long war against terror. Imran Khan has become a threat not only for Pakistan's traditional political parties inside Pakistan but also looks about to become a big hurdle in the implementation of demands made on Pakistan by the US.
The last time Lahore saw this kind of political tsunami was on April 10, 1986 when Benazir Bhutto came back from exile after many years. A big reception to the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was a bombshell for the then military dictator. Benazir Bhutto addressed a big rally in Iqbal Park adjacent to the historic Lahore Fort. That rally was the beginning of General Zia's end. The October 30 rally by Imran Khan in the same Iqbal Park also looked like signalling an end to pro-US policies initiated by General Pervez Musharraf ten years ago. Imran addressed the US secretary of state as “Chachi Clinton” (aunty Clinton) and said a big no to any more army operations in Pakistani tribal areas. Now it will be impossible for the ruling Pakistan People's Party and its coalition partners to start new operation in North Waziristan or even continue the old operations from South Waziristan to Khyber. Elections are close and no political government can take the risk of going against public opinion.
These days Hillary Clinton is desperately looking for someone who can become a bridge between the Afghan Taliban and the US. Imran Khan can make some serious efforts in this regard but right now he is more focused on the situation inside Pakistan. He has offered his services for the engagement of Pakistani Taliban but he wants assurances that there will be no more military operations. Imran said all this just one day before the meeting of President Asif Ali Zardari with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Istanbul.
Afghan officials will discuss the US endgame with Pakistan, India, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia,Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, UAE, Turkey, US and UK at Istanbul conference from November 1. The US wants some commitments from Pakistan at this conference and that was why Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kyani was also invited to the conference but the big anti-American rally of Imran Khan made it very difficult for Pakistani leaders to oblige their friends from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, who became part of the process on US request. Imran criticized the army operations in Pakistani tribal areas in very strong words. He clearly said at the Lahore rally that some tribal elders had given him assurances that US drone attacks must be stopped and the Pakistan army should halt operations in tribal areas and that they would control all the militants. Imran Khan also arranged a meeting of these tribal elders (mostly from North Waziristan ) with his ex wife Jemima Khan, who is making a documentary against drone attacks. Jemima and Imran are separated but they often meet each other because of their two sons. An American lawyer, Clive Smith, is also helping Jemima and they are planning a big campaign against drone attacks in the Western media. Jemima writes for Vanity Fair magazine. She is helping not only Imran but also Julian Assange and may be Julian Assange will also speak at the inauguration of the documentary.
Imran Khan repeatedly said that “Pakistan is changed”. He threatened that “I will not spare anyone who gave Pakistani bases to US and sold my people just for dollars”.
He also said, “We want friendly relations with every country but we cannot accept the slavery of America.” Imran Khan came out openly in support of Kashmiris and advised India to withdraw its troops from Kashmir. He tried to satisfy central Punjab voters who are not happy with the soft stance of Zardari and Nawaz Sharif on India. This hard stance will definitely make him closer to the military establishment but he opposed military action in Baluchistan. He has also criticized the role of the Pakistan army in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ) in his recently published book “Pakistan: A Personal History”.
He warned the government on Sunday that all politicians must declare their assets inside and outside Pakistan within a few months, failing which his party would launch a civil disobedience movement and block all major cities with public support. For many analysts his party is emerging as a third option after Zardari's PPP and Nawaz Sharif's PML-N. He has always criticized the PPP and PML-N jointly because one is ruling in the centre and the other is ruling Punjab, which is more than 60 percent of Pakistan. Imran has definitely proved that he enjoys more political support in Lahore than Nawaz Sharif but it does not mean that he is going to get a clear majority in the coming elections. He needs some winning horses not only in central Punjab but also in south Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and Sindh.
He needs big rallies in Faisalabad, Multan , Peshawar , Karachi and Quetta and then he can make some more big claims. He will definitely make dents not only in the vote bank of the PML-N but will also damage the PPP badly. His biggest stronghold in the north is the tribal area where he is expected to make a clean sweep. This is the same area where he will not allow the government to start any new army operations. If there is no operation then what will be the future of Pakistan-US relations? The Zardari regime is at the crossroads. There is US pressure from one side and PTI pressure from the other side. Nawaz Sharif was trying to play it safe by targeting only Zardari and not the US, but Imran Khan has suddenly changed the political dynamics of Pakistan. He is new trouble for the US and also for the pro-US political elite in Pakistan . All the popular parties have no option other than to follow his anti-Americanism.
Hillary Clinton needs to realize the wave of change in Pakistani politics. She cannot understand this change without engaging Imran Khan. October 30 was just a beginning. The world will see more changes on the political map of Pakistan and Imran Khan will play a leading role in those changes.
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