Imran Khan’s Narcissistic Politics – OpEd

By

Pakistan current political climate can be defined as mayhem, between the government and the former prime minister Imran Khan. Pakistan’s political conflagration ignited by the former prime minister is keeping the government from addressing its main problem of restoring the nosediving economy.

Ousted from premiership Imran Khan, ever since out of office he has taken a maximalist position while storming with anti-army and anti-government narratives. He has often spoken unsubstantially against the military in Pakistan, whilst referring to the country’s powerful intelligence agencies. Khan asserts that the military has undermined democracy and interfered in the political process, leading to instability in the country. His rhetoric against the military establishment is merely empty talk and that he has not taken any concrete steps to address the issues he had raised. Khan is using the military as a scapegoat to deflect attention from his own government’s shortcomings or to appeal to a certain segment of the population that is skeptical of the military’s role in politics. His revanchist attitude is responsible for the current political and economic gridlock, needless to say it is a bad gamble on his end which he will most likely loose.

In his hubris, Khan has outspoken against the revered institutions in Pakistan, including the judiciary and the media, when he perceives them to be acting against his interests. He is attempting to undermine democratic norms and institutions by attacking those who disagree with him. Khan spat fiery polemics against the judiciary, after the Supreme Court issued a verdict overturning his decisions. He had accused the judges of being part of a ‘mafia’ and called for the establishment of a new judiciary that would not be influenced by the elite. He is undermining the independence of the judiciary and attempting to interfere in its decision-making process. His hubris is giving him delusions of grandeur. 

Khan has deliberately used such rhetoric that has divided the Pakistani population along ethnic, sectarian, and religious lines. He uses such prolixity so as to appeal to conservative religious voters. He has also been using such rhetoric that has created schisms and polarized the country’s political landscape and society. His uncouth confrontational style has led to a breakdown in dialogue between the government and opposition parties, making it difficult to reach consensus on important issues. Furthermore, he has been using populist rhetoric that appeals to certain segments of the population while demonizing others. His bellicose rhetoric has the deepened divisions within the country and undermined democratic norms and institutions, having egregious consequences.

Khan has been focusing more on his political agenda than on addressing the pressing issues facing the country. During his tenure he had spent too much time and resources with his infatuation for pursuing “corruption cases” (revenge) against his political opponents rather than focusing on real issues such as poverty, unemployment, deteriorating economy and access to healthcare and education. He has also been accused of pursuing policies that are more focused on gaining political mileage than on addressing the needs of the country. 

His policies were predominantly replete with practicing selective accountability. He has targeted his political opponents, particularly the opposition party leaders, while sparing his own party members and allies. Khan had been actively engaged in censorship and media control. Several journalists particularly female journalists i.e. Gharida Farooqi and Asma Sherazi, along with numerous media outlets have faced harassment and intimidation for criticizing his erstwhile government’s policies. Despite promising to bring about economic prosperity, his government had failed to control inflation and unemployment. The country’s economy has been in shambles, with high inflation and rising unemployment rates. He had been practicing nepotism by appointing family members and friends to key positions in his government. All of Imran khan’s rhetoric is empty and gloves off approach has been to the detriment of Pakistan. 

In addition, Khan has been criticized for making controversial statements on sensitive issues such as India-Pakistan relations and the Kashmir dispute. His comments on the Kashmir dispute have been criticized. His rhetoric has contributed to the deterioration of relations between India and Pakistan. His statements have done more harm than good and have escalated tensions between the two countries. Same is the case for the souring of relations between Pakistan and US, regarding Khan’s false allegations about the cipher, which he then himself backtracked upon. He is playing politics at the expense of the nation and putting his own political interests ahead of the needs of the Pakistani people. It is divisive and counterproductive to building a cohesive and united Pakistan.

Angeza Khan is a Mphil scholar at Quaid e Axam University, Islamabad.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *