What is happening to Jehangir Tareen and the way he is being hounded reminds me of my original premonition about Imran Khan which has slowly but painfully come true. But before that it is in fitness of things to recollect certain significant events and incidents which were indicative of that cultural make up flaw which might see the last of him, not so much his lack of political acumen nor his incompetent team.
This deficiency was unzipped for the first time during his marathon dharna when one of his supporters drowned in the rain water collected in a deep ditch dug for the Metro bus track. It was next to his container but he failed to show concern or even walk up to the deceased.
Meanwhile, the horrible massacre of APS Peshawar occurred, dharna was abruptly called off and quite strangely IK got married within 20 days of this tragic slaughter of school children and their teachers in his base constituency. On such occasions in our society neighbours, elders, area notables and leaders show solidarity and share grief not marry. Not at least before customary 40 days of mourning. What was the almighty hurry if one may ask? One is prepared to grant that getting married ordinarily is a personal affair but public figures have a much larger responsibility as role models. The dictum of grace and sensitivity is applicable not only in material but also in moral domain and is more urgent for leaders.
He lost his composure on the very first day of his presence as Prime Minister in the Parliament and so comprehensively that he has never been able to regain it, third year going. That’s not what men of stature and statesmen do. He should have straight away changed gear from agitation to nation building.
Within months unworthy spouse was seen off and then inexplicably selects a married woman with apparently well settled life and grown up children under intriguing circumstances. She was known to be some kind of his spiritual guide, reportedly was divorced and married Imran Khan. .In our society, the aura around such an opaque match does not make a very nice impression. Sadly it continues to be a butt of unpleasant gossip bordering on disdain by people and disapproval by serious minded men.
Let’s see how those very close to him fare. Two men stand out; Aleem Khan and Jehangir Tareen. It became quite clear that when difficult times came they were left at their own. To add insult to injury Imran visibly distanced from them and deployed behind abstract notions of legality and due process of law and similar humdrum. Nobody expected him to influence courts or investigations but at least show concern and solidarity with his old and tested pals. He did not. Instead unleashed his dogs of investigation and accountability upon a gracious and reliable teammate like Jehangir Tareen and his son. People are seeing this poor spectacle of the literal destruction of age-old custom of standing with friends come rain, thunder or earthquake.
Simultaneously Nadeem Babar and Durrani were let to slip through his high moral net despite awfully huge monetary bungling under their charge. This is also not lost to the people in addition to a flood of other scams. On yet another plain how and why could he not show his much flaunted grit and moral strength to reject a unique permission to a convict Nawaz Sharif to exit country on a flimsy piece of paper? Why couldn’t he stand up to CJ IHC’s ridiculous question about guarantee for Nawaz Sharif’s life? Could the Judge guarantee another day to himself??That was where his mettle was tested and he failed. Shifting onus to doctors and Cabinet now or blaming the UK government is not cricket.
One is first hand witness to the absolute sponge his handpicked disaster CM Punjab Usman Buzdar is. Regrettably they undermined themselves, their administration and their supporters when Nawaz Sharif used to be taken in royal motorcade from Adiala Jail to NAB court Islamabad like a sitting prime minister, not as an accused of looting national treasury. People noted this lack of courage to stand up to the bullies and concluded that these men do not and cannot walk the talk.
Then comes his habit of sidelining strong minded colleagues apparently under pressure or fear of being overshadowed. Case in point is Sheharyar Afridi who drove fear of God into the hearts of real estate encroachers. However, he prefers to retain tainted or to say the least queer men like Zulfi Bukhari, Nadeem Babar, Shahbaz Gill and many more in his camp. The few exceptions are Dr Sania Nishtar and Hammad Azhar, of which the latter has already been compromised by him over opening trade with India. No wonder a mini revolt has erupted in the Party cadres.
After this rather long premise it should be easier to conclude what we started off with, that is Imran’s cultural make up flaw. It appears he has been so thoroughly soaked in alien culture that has lost the fundamental understanding of certain of our own social values and customs. He shows lack of deeper comprehension of our protocols of grieving over death, proper occasion and appropriate candidate for wedding and how to stand with and support friends and old colleagues.
More astonishingly he indicates a strange tendency of shifting blame when it explodes in public. Finally he fails to recognize or possibly see the window of opportunity when to bow out with grace. Tenacity is the lesser partner of humility and wisdom and does not take priority over country’s good name and people’s interests.
