By: Qamar Bashir

The entire nation is reeling from the onslaught of conflicting narratives and frequent U-turns from various political parties. The public has become increasingly aware of how original narratives have been manipulated and distorted over time. They are frustrated and disillusioned by the constant introduction of new narratives that discard the older ones without any justification, reason, or prudence. This perpetual cycle of shifting stories and changing stances has eroded trust in political discourse and left the people weary of the relentless political maneuvering.

Nawaz Sharif, after his unceremonious ouster in 2017, primarily for refusing to follow the establishment’s lines on pressing national and international issues, invented and injected the narrative of “giving respect to the vote.” This narrative resonated with the people, and the popularity of PML(N) soared to new heights. However, the narrative was mercilessly killed before and after the 2024 Election depriving the PML(N) from much needed political capital and also faced personal humiliation.

He was assured of winning a ⅔ majority but was miserably ditched. He lost his own seat in Mansehra and was only able to save his seat in Lahore, allegedly due to brute interference from the establishment to give him some face-saving. PML(N) allegedly sold its soul and its brand narrative, “Give Respect to Vote”  in exchange for forming the government despite being the minority party in the parliament.

We also saw how our poor Information Minister was forced to hold an emergency press conference where he announced the launch of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam forthwith. However, he had to take a sharp U-turn once his announcement faced stiff opposition from all political parties, including his own.

Later, we experienced another sharp U-turn when the Information Minister, once again without any preparation or homework, announced the government’s intention to ban the PTI. He later had to take a U-turn after facing stiff resistance from all political parties, including some of the most loyal leaders of the PML(N).

The PTI chairman, when ousted unceremoniously from power in 2022, adopted the narrative that all those who claimed to be neutral are akin to animals. He qualified his statement by arguing that only animals, who don’t have minds or visions of their own, could be neutral. He was perhaps implying that the establishment should have supported his party when it was facing the no-confidence motion. However, since it chose not to do so, its claims of neutrality meant that it did not support PTI anymore and had instead shifted its blessings to other parties to bring them to power, for reasons best known only to them.

The constant chastising of the establishment by the PTI chairman after his ouster, terming them traitors, conspirators, and aggressors, and accusing them of seeking direction from a foreign country, finally led to his arrest. This culminated in the May 9 incident, which sealed the possibility of any rapprochement with the establishment.

All of a sudden, after one year of constant incarceration and maintaining the narrative that “neutral” is equal to “animal,” the PTI founder suddenly took an unexpected U-turn, demanding the establishment to become neutral. This U-turn not only amazed other parties and the people at large but also left the party leaders at a loss for words, grappling for arguments to support the narrative they had been opposing since the ouster of the PTI from the government.

Mehr Bano, the newly emerged star spokesperson of PTI, who returned to Pakistan after participating in political advocacy in the UK Parliament, came up with a new set of arguments to support the new narrative. She gave many reasons, one of which was that this narrative was injected to unnerve PML(N) and PPP, putting them in a defensive position and causing them to make mistakes that PTI could exploit for further political mileage.

The set of arguments also included that what the founder meant was that the establishment should stand with the righteous path, stand with justice and truth, and play their role in ensuring the dispensation of justice and the establishment of the rule of law. This implied that, according to them, only PTI is on the righteous path; therefore, the establishment should stand with PTI, help it reclaim its alleged stolen narrative, and put it in power with Imran Khan as Prime Minister.

The Chief Minister of KP came up with his own logic. He argued that PML(N) and PPP are using the establishment to prolong their rule and are entangling the establishment in a trap, pushing it to directly deal with the PTI, enter into a war of narratives with PTI, deal with court cases, and use its influence and power to secure verdicts that directly or indirectly insulate PML(N) and PPP from direct confrontation with PTI, thus helping them to prolong their stay in power.

He warned that the people are holding the establishment responsible for all the failures, incompetencies, inefficiencies, and lack of deliverance of the government, arguing that it was the establishment that brought this incompetent government to power; therefore, they are also responsible for its failure. He advised the establishment to withdraw its support from the government and let it fight its case alone.

Mr. Shibli Faraz, in reply to questions posed by inquisitive journalists, first tried to explain the new narrative of asking the establishment to become neutral but lost his temper in response to subsequent probing questions.

Analysts and commentators are of the view that the ice between PTI and the establishment is not going to melt anytime soon. They argue that the mistrust, bad blood, and animosity between the two have gone too far to be brought back on friendly terms. However, they also argue that the biggest threat faced by the establishment is its deteriorating image, not only among the people of Pakistan but also among most of the political parties in the opposition. They are especially worried about the erosion of their image among expatriate Pakistanis, particularly in the US, the UK, and the rest of the world.

They are also aware that as soon as it mends its fences with PTI, propaganda against it on all forms of social media will come to an end, giving it much-needed relief and improving its standing among the general public, which is pivotal for the performance of its duties within and outside the borders.

Analysts also believe that this war of narratives and frequent U-turns will continue to confuse the people even more, with no possibility of stopping anytime soon.

By: Qamar Bashir

Former Press Secretary to the President

Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France

Former MD, SRBC