I Will Win Either Way: Imran Khan

As far as the political pundits are concerned, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ouster through the no-confidence motion is now engraved on the wall. There are no ifs and buts. This Sunday, the united opposition is all set to again prove its majority in the National Assembly and drag the rug from under the feet of Imran Khan.

A rejuvenated opposition, backed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) dissidents, and allies turned rivals are all determined to give a final push to oust the Prime Minister, who rose to power defying political dynasties and emerged as an alternative to the tried and tested parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

And it is not just the local factor which is troubling Imran Khan and his loyal team. A western power has been “blatantly interfering” in Pakistan’s domestic politics and pushing for a “regime change.”

Despite these heavy odds, Imran Khan’s poise and confidence appear remarkable. Perhaps the credit goes to his public life spread over decades first as a world class sportsman, then as a social worker and finally as a politician and a leader.

“I will win either way,” Imran Khan told a group of journalists at the Prime Minister House on Friday. This was one of his detailed interactions with media persons that he has started in recent days to put across his point-of-view ahead of the vote on no-confidence motion.

“I still think that the corrupt politicians can’t win… Their careers will be over by pushing for an artificial change at the behest of a foreign power,” he said. “The nation will never spare the Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs of today.”

It appears that Imran Khan’s anti-corruption and foreign interference narrative has been fast gaining ground among the masses. His party, which was on the ropes in the first round of local bodies’ elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in December 2021, has bounced back in their second phase held on March 31. The PML-N stands defeated in its stronghold of Hazara-belt, while the PTI managed not just to retain its old turf but has been able to expand it further.

Imran Khan’s recent series of rallies in various parts of the country has also drawn massive crowds as many observers say that the public debate on increased inflation and the PTI’s governance issues seemed to have been placed on the backburner.

“My party has never enjoyed this kind of popularity in the last 25 years,” Imran Khan said. One of the main reasons for the surge in this popularity, according to the Prime Minister, is that people really got scared at the prospects of “these three stooges” returning to power. Scores of disgruntled PTI followers and supporters are back in the party fold, vowing to fight the corrupt politicians, he said.

Without divulging the name of the country, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, gave details of a meeting with Pakistan’s ambassador based there, in which a message was conveyed from the highest forum that Prime Minister Imran Khan remains unacceptable. The message was that “remove Imran Khan and you will be forgiven,” he said.

The extreme displeasure of the foreign power is due to the Prime Minister’s Moscow visit, which is being presented as his sole decision. However, Imran Khan said that the fact is that there were detailed deliberations at the Foreign Office, while the military establishment was also on board. “It was a consensus decision,” he said. There were clear hints that a no-confidence motion is coming against the Prime Minister and if it fails, Pakistan should be prepared for the consequences, he added.

The Prime Minister said that as in the past, the foreign power is using “local actors” to achieve its goals. The diplomatic staff of the foreign power has had a series of meetings with different opposition leaders, PTI dissidents and media persons, he said.

“As a political party, we will take the support of the people to counter this move,” Khan said.

Khan said that he was aware of the plan against his government from July-August and shared details with his colleagues that the coming winter would be tough.

“At that time my main worry was the situation in Afghanistan… We expected a bloodbath over there and feared sanctions against Pakistan in its wake. But when the Afghan National Army collapsed and the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul peacefully, this danger was averted.”

Imran Khan reiterated his stance that he would never give an NRO to the corrupt politicians or would shake hands with them.

“I know all the thieves have joined hands…. But my priority is not power, but the objective for which the Tehreek-e-Insaf was formed.”

He said that he made many compromises as he wasn’t operating in an ideal situation.

“The problem is that there is no outrage on corruption in Pakistan. Corruption has become acceptable. Where is our morality?” he asked, adding that in Pakistan the rich and the powerful remain above the law. “None of the institutions – from the NAB to the ECP – was with me in the mission to fight corruption … I am swimming in a dirty pool.”

Imran Khan said there were threats to his life, and he has information that a dirty character assassination campaign has been prepared against him. But he said that the game is not over yet.

“I will fight till the last ball. People will enjoy what happens this Sunday,” he said, without divulging any details on how he plans to counter the no-confidence motion against him. “The captain won’t tell anyone his strategy,” he said smilingly.

Will the captain be able to give a surprise to his friends and foes? Many believe he may not. But all agree that Imran Khan will be a force to reckon with whatever may be the result of the vote.