Imran emerges victor in latest twitter spat
The Pakistan prime minister is keen on recalibrating the country’s image in ways that are in synchrony with the best interests of its people
Donald Trump, POTUS, 72, on Twitter is a train-wreck in slow motion. There’s nothing Trump doesn’t tweet, and there aren’t many he spares in his tweets. Trump versus Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, is the latest Twitter fight. From America’s usual refrain to Pakistan of “Do More”, Trump tweet-jumped to Pakistan “do[es] nothing for us”. And a tweet that wouldn’t have elicited more than an oh-no-not-again — if Americans or the world started to pay attention to Trump’s unmentionable tweets, it would be Apocalypse Now every day — triggered a reaction that not many had expected.
Nothing unites Pakistan quicker than a Trump tweet or two, belittling Pakistan’s immense role in America’s ‘War on Terror’. Exceptions are there. There are certain types of Pakistanis who watch and tweet in glee whenever Pakistan is trashed/attacked by a western country.
Prime Minister Imran Khan does not tweet to shock, intimidate, amuse or insult. His Twitter timeline, devoid of replies and retweets, other than serving as a noticeboard of his political and now prime ministerial viewpoints and activities, is merely a run-of-the-mill collection of tweets that are expected from any head of state.
Imran’s response is not nationalistic bluster or patriotic hyperbole. What he said is a fact. Pakistan has suffered huge human and material losses after being forced to become a part of former United States president George W. Bush’s post9/11 “you are either with us or against us” war.
Imran tweeted: Record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump’s tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123bnwas lost to the economy. US “aid” was a minuscule $20bn. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. 4. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications (GLOCs/ALOCs). Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?”
The noteworthy point: Imran Khan the Prime Minister has merely reiterated what Imran Khan the politician has said for years. That Pakistan is fighting US wars, that Pakistan must not be part of any western/US war in which the US focused on its goals of global hegemony and self-aggrandisement and killed people in our region, that the toll on Pakistan of the US wars is astronomical compared to any monetary or other compensation America has given Pakistan in the guise of being its ally, and that no US war in Afghanistan should have ever been brought to Pakistan.
Beginning of a new chapter
Pakistan’s history is fraught with its misplaced military adventurism that stemmed from its myopic and self-detrimental paradigms of “strategic depth” and “strategic assets”. Imran’s government now has a unique chance to bring about a change that will be beneficial to Pakistan in ways that are far-reaching and substantial.
Imran’s tweet to Trump — “Now we will do what is best for our people and our interests” — is the indication of a beginning of a new chapter of Pakistan’s geostrategic identity: Pakistan for Pakistan.
Pakistan in 2018 is at a juncture where it appears to be in the process of having a much-needed and long-delayed introspection. It is about a government committed to enhancement of overall dynamics of Pakistan as a state that is focused on the micro and macro, poised to recalibrate its image in ways that are in synchronisation with the best interests of its people on all levels, and is set to have a realignment vis-a-vis its status regionally and internationally. Much is to be done.
Imran’s tweets are not for aww and awe. They are a reflection of his deep commitment to make Pakistan a country that is self-reliant, focused on the good of its people and in a position where friends are not approached for aid, and fairweather allies do not demean you for what is rightfully yours. Imran’s dream of that Pakistan is that of all of us who love Pakistan beyond self.
We stand with our prime minister every step of the way.
■ Mehr Tarar is a columnist and writer based in Pakistan.