The Last Hope for Status quo

By Kashif Manzoor

We often hear that Imran Khan is a voice of change, a symbol of anti status quo, the only man who can fix the ever complicating problems Pakistan is facing. Its quite right to say him a freshening face in Pakistani politics but if one closely analyzes the term status-co, things could make a very different picture altogether.
By birth, Pakistan is a security state and this phenomenon has empowered the military establishment to often have decisive say in political and governing affairs. This luxury, for the first time, has put military establishment to a stern test. At this hour, military leadership is facing the ever toughest challenges.
The current threat from bleeding US in Afghanistan is a tougher challenge but establishment’s real test would be the post US withdrawal scenario. Historically both the threat and opportunities in Afghanistan have equally left their foot prints in the nearby region, now called as Pakistan. The ever likely resurgence of Taliban in Post US withdrawal context is sure to boost up the morale of ideological Islamic factions in Pakistan and will consequently result into even greater divide in Pakistani society. And to call it a prescription for instability is an understatement.
Second greatest challenge for military establishment emanates from the domestic situation. The lingering bad governance, corruption and worsening security situation have proved detrimental for the already collapsing economy, which is vital to fuel the security apparatus.
To cope with these challenges, establishment needs a front-man who is represent able to the foreign investors as Mr. Clean, who can collect tax and strangle the corrupt, who can withstand it on foreign policy issues especially on Pak-Us relations and last but not the least it needs a man with whom people can rally . By now you must have noticed that only one man befits this scenario i.e. Imran Khan. In fact convergence of their objectives has often led skeptics to a conclusion of collusion between him and military establishment.
Now to the point, why is he being called the “last hope for status-co”? By Status-co the parliamentary democracy, current constitution and other ingredients of current set-up is meant. If the situation does not improve which is highly likely with the current state of affairs, the military establishment will be forced to make some radical changes in our political system to calm down the masses. These changes could be to introduce a completely new governing system, so to call one party rule. But this could prove ultra-risky given the present existential threats faced by Pakistan. Furthermore the situation in Fata, Baluchistan and Karachi along with already over stretched army renders a monstrous potential threat which delimits the capabilities of military establishment to control the game to its likings. Hence the establishment has to find an aide who could steer political front so that it can focus on the security issues. Also Imran Khan can be an acceptable article for the extreme right working for the change of system. His recent contacts with Jamat-e-Islami seem to endorse this view. In purview of all this, he really is the only hope for status quo.

The article is contributed to pkarticleshub.com