By Hiba Sohail
We can sit for hours and unpack exactly what PTI has done wrong — and we should. PTI is also in the midst of an anti-American imperial struggle. Both coexist, and for the latter, we must lend them our support. I may dislike PTI but I am not so blinded by my emotions to pretend that the opposition is the better option. Our stance must always be one of anti-American imperialism and interference and our current conversation must revolve around that first and foremost, and for that reason alone, I am currently on Imran Khan’s side (and for the last time, perhaps) — but for Pakistan’s sake, do not pretend that Imran Khan was a leftist by any means. We can be anti-imperialists and stand against undemocratic, and frankly, unjustifiable ousting without making him something he wasn’t. Our political opinions mean nothing if we do not question why Pakistan has been stifled for so long and isn’t allowed to stand as an independent, sovereign nation. Are we destined to be a puppet state forever? That being said, we don’t have to collectively start suffering from political amnesia. My criticisms of Imran Khan were and are still just as valid as the day I wrote them. PTI and Imran Khan were plagued by missteps that marred what could have been an otherwise progressive leadership. I am already seeing hollow takes about how Imran Khan was an ally for Kashmiris. Yes, he was, performatively — just as every Pakistani prime minister before him. His facade of Muslim brotherhood stretched only as far as a certain Saudi economic bailout allowed. And yes, the Sharif family is glorious at petty, pretend economic developments to legitimize their leadership, but they are nothing more than the perfect vessel to serve American interests in the region. Imran Khan was a lot of things, but he wasn’t an American bootlicker. and maybe all our critiques pale in comparison to that, but that doesn’t warrant them invalid. PTI spent the last three and a half years pushing away what could’ve been their biggest allies: women and minorities for the sake of religious opportunism. Instead of lending support, women’s rights were called dissenting opinions, foreign-funded, and the general insensitivity towards all minorities is not something to be proud of. In 2018, I liked Imran Khan, I had high hopes for him. but he fell too quickly into the trap that perhaps Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto fell into, too. (It always confused me why PTI and PPP could not find common ground.) The past week, as Imran Khan scrambled to save his post and party, he’s done us all a favor: he’s exposed the hypocritical “democratic” institutions but above all, he’s laid bare just how much the Pakistani military is actually in charge. The events of the past two weeks, including the supreme court decision doing away with the doctrine of necessity, sure, are democratic wins and uphold the constitution (the same constitution that shoves Ahmadis down to second-class citizens, so really, was it a win?). Imran Khan may have stripped our military, judiciary, and bureaucracy to its core, but we cannot forget he only did so when it no longer served his party’s interests. PTI is being subjected to the same insulting tactics that the Aurat March, journalists, and leftist activists were during its leadership. This is not an endorsement of the opposition parties, nor the sharif family. I’m simply saying that we must not forget that at the very core of Pakistani politics, they are the same, albeit PTI has a more aesthetic package. We must not romanticize Imran Khan, for this may be our only chance to revolutionize our institutions and democracy by holding PTI and its supporters accountable. The nation is seeing an unprecedented rise of anti-military sentiment for the first time — from civilians and army officers. Hell, my own mother who was so staunchly pro-military (and is very much an Imran Khan fan) has realized that the fight I’ve been having with her for the past five years wasn’t for nothing. PTI’s manpower cannot be denied and it’s commendable that in such a short period, Imran Khan has upended our political participation. It’s unfortunate though, that this wasn’t realized decades earlier. it’s unfortunate though, that our country didn’t rally against horrific military actions — or even question them. It’s unfortunate though, that this anger is selective. political interference by the military was okay, encouraged even, when it was for the betterment of PTI. We accuse PMLN-N, PPP, and MQM (PDM won’t even get a mention here) of hypocrisy, but clearly, PTI did not strive to be different. It can though. I believe PTI can be better than what it became. This is why we must relearn our own history, and be intersectional in our stances. critiques are not something intolerable, they are to be learned from. Here’s to hoping that democracy (if that is indeed the end goal of our society), prevails in a way that we never have to become a proxy state to an empire. It is hard to have just one opinion in this mess because our political structures are … a mess. And that’s okay. We can hold conflicting opinions about PTI & Imran khan and still have them make sense because our end goal is a better, free Pakistan that isn’t trampled by America.