Imran’s martyr

Even to a world by now numbed by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s obsequious servitude towards the deep state, the statement that Osama bin Laden had been ‘martyred’ by US special forces came as a shock. The fact that he corrected himself after initially using the term ‘killed’ for the most notorious terrorist in the world shows how deliberate the expression was. While civilian surrogates sing for their supper for the military establishment that props them up, Imran Khan dropped the fig leaf of independence that sustained the perception, however tenuous, of the legitimacy of his government.

Opposition leaders in Pakistan have condemned Imran Khan and called the statement a ploy to divert attention from the government’s economic failure, and its dismal performance in taming the Covid-19 crisis. His criticism of the US in the same speech is also significant. As the special role of the Pakistani military establishment in nurturing and controlling terrorists is getting exposed, hitherto steadfast support from the US is now coming with strings attached. Then there are the silken cords on the goodies that come from China. An attempt at a geopolitical realignment is becoming increasingly apparent.

Pakistan has not been able to function in a meaningful and democratic manner ever since it came into existence. Its version of nationalism has allowed the military establishment virtually a monopoly over state resources, and the subversion of democracy by the establishment is well-accepted. By calling Osama bin Laden a ‘martyr’, Pakistan’s premier has legitimised the actions of the man who plotted the 9/11 attack. Even as he has exposed the true nature of Rawalpindi’s world view, he has also simultaneously alienated international opinion and triggered a diplomatic crisis that Islamabad will find challenging to get over. The man who played cricket with a sure hand is gone; instead, what is left is a bitter, hateful man whom the Opposition calls, Taliban Khan; one who seeks exalted status for terrorists, and in doing so, delegitimises Pakistan.

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