ISLAMABAD – Soon after Imran Khan’s historic victory speech, criticsimmediately raised serious concerns that why Khan’s friendship offer toIndia was not taken as a treason.
Nawaz Sharif sympathisers argued that PML N Quaid was branded as a traitordue to his urge of improving ties with India. Following are the differencesbetween Khan’s friendship offer to India and Sharif’s agenda regardingIndo-Pak relations.
1. First of all, PM-elect Imran Khan has never been alleged of pursuingpersonal business interests with India, contrary to Sharif who met Indiansteel tycoon Jindal soon after attending Modi’s oath-taking ceremony andalso mysteriously held a table talk with the tycoon in Murree. Thesemeetings raised eyebrows of not only Pak establishment but also commonPakistani.
2. Experts say that advent of Dawn leaks was the turning point when Sharifregime lost support from the establishment, on the other hand, Khan neverdesired and seemed to pursue such policy of humiliating armed forces.
3. Nawaz Sharif also openly negated the partition of the subcontinent byopenly arguing that Indians and Pakistani share the same culture, food andeven God, explicitly contradicting Quaid-e-Azam. That statement promptedharsh criticism even from the sections who always supported Sharif likeveteran journalist Majeed Nizami.
4. Kulbhushan Yadev saga also perturbed the security forces and the nation.Who can forget the joint presser by the then info minister Pervez Rasheedand DG ISPR Asim Bajwa where Pervez Rashid failed to answer some pertinentquestions regarding India spy-cum terrorist Kulbhushan Yadav. Subsequently,Nawaz was alleged of deliberately not raising the issue on anyinternational forum, amid Indian rhetoric of cross border terrorism andHafiz Saeed.
5. Intentionally bypassing establishment during important strategicdecisions regarding Indo Pak relations, consequently creating the civilmilitary rift which resulted into political and economic chaos. No one candeny the civil authority in any ideal democracy, but meaningfulconsultation with stakeholders is a prerequisite of establishing civilianwrit. Everyone knows how seriously White House consults Pentagon on notonly defense but also foreign relations.
Nawaz Sharif has been a blue eyed boy of the established for decades, oneshould ponder that why he suddenly lost support from the concerned quartersand why Khan is enjoying the establishment’s suppor.
It shows that the army never had issues with friendship with India but theycertainly would resist Indian dominance in the name of relations. It woulddefinitely be interesting to see that how Khan goes with India andestablishment, keeping in mind the rough roads we have been going through,but one thing is definite that sanity should prevail, and both countriesshould kick off meaningful dialogue.
BY: Hasan Siddique, The writer is Freelance Journalist Pursuing Ph.D. inCommunication Studies)