Asif Haroon Raja
PTI’s social-media machinery continues to churn out a steady stream of exaggerated, unverified and, in some cases, demonstrably false narratives designed to discredit the government and the Army while portraying Imran Khan as the sole saviour of Pakistan.
The objective is obvious: keep the political flame alive, sustain the morale of an increasingly frustrated cadre and prevent further fragmentation of the party.
In this manufactured narrative, nothing is right in Pakistan. The government has supposedly failed on every front, the economy is collapsing, institutions are dysfunctional, the state is in disarray and the country is allegedly waiting for an imminent political upheaval.
This is not political criticism. Criticism is the lifeblood of democracy; deliberate misinformation is not.
Exploiting Every Issue
The latest controversy being exploited, concerns Afghan students associated with King Edward Medical University (KEMU). The issue has been presented by critics as another example of governmental cruelty and incompetence, with emotional appeals being made about the students’ future and the supposed damage to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Humanitarian concerns should certainly be treated with sensitivity. At the same time, Pakistan has the sovereign right to enforce its immigration and visa laws and to take action where individuals do not possess valid documentation or where legitimate security concerns arise.
KEMU has reportedly required Afghan students and other Afghan nationals whose visas had not been extended to vacate university accommodation.
The larger question cannot, however, be divorced from the deteriorating security relationship between Islamabad and Kabul.
Pakistan cannot be expected to ignore cross-border militancy, terrorism or hostile activity merely to avoid criticism from political opponents.
The Fantasy of a Military Revolt
Another extraordinary narrative doing the rounds concerns the retirement of a number of lieutenant generals during September and October.
PTI-oriented commentators are attempting to create an impression that some of these officers might revolt against the military leadership, turn against General Asim Munir and support the political opposition.
This is wishful thinking masquerading as analysis.
The Pakistan Army is an institution, not a collection of individuals waiting for a political opportunity to settle personal scores.
Attempts to manufacture divisions within the military hierarchy are not only irresponsible; they can have serious consequences for national cohesion and institutional stability.
Similarly, isolated statements by government ministers are being lifted out of context and presented as proof that the entire governmental system has collapsed.
The opposition is entitled to criticise government performance, but converting every administrative difficulty into evidence of imminent state failure is neither serious politics nor responsible journalism.
The October Fantasy
The latest prediction is that the government will collapse in October because of differences between the PML-N and PPP, internal disagreements within the PML-N and controversy surrounding the creation of additional provinces.
Political parties certainly have differences. Coalitions naturally experience friction. But a disagreement is not necessarily a rupture, and a political dispute is not automatically the beginning of regime change.
The repeated prediction of an imminent government collapse has become a recurring feature of PTI politics. When the prediction fails, another date is simply announced.
This is not a strategy. It is political wishful thinking.
The 9 May Question
The most serious issue, however, remains 9 May.
Whatever political interpretation one may place upon the events of that day, attacks on military installations and other state property cannot be normalised as legitimate political protest.
Accountability must be pursued through due process, evidence and courts—not through political vengeance, but equally not through political pressure.
For years, the 9 May cases have remained entangled in prolonged legal proceedings.
As the judicial process moves forward, political parties should resist the temptation to turn every judicial development into a conspiracy theory or an excuse for street confrontation.
If the accused are innocent, the courts provide the appropriate forum for establishing that innocence. If they are guilty, the law must take its course. The rule of law cannot be selective.
The Myth of Secret Contacts
The recurring stories about secret meetings between military officers and Imran Khan in Adiala Jail deserve the same degree of scrutiny.
Similar claims have appeared repeatedly in the past, only to disappear without producing any verifiable evidence.
Why would representatives of the Army need to conduct clandestine negotiations when political and legal issues are already being discussed openly in Parliament, courts, the media and political forums?
Rumour is not evidence. Anonymous claims are not facts. And political hope should not be confused with institutional reality.
The 27 September Mobilisation
PTI has announced a nationwide mobilisation and march towards Islamabad on 27 September.
A legal challenge to the proposed protest has already been brought before the Islamabad High Court, and the court’s determination should be respected.
PTI has every constitutional right to organise peaceful political activity. But that right carries a corresponding responsibility.
A peaceful demonstration is democratic politics; violence, vandalism, attacks on state institutions or defiance of lawful court orders are not.
If the mobilisation fails to attract the expected numbers, it will expose the gap between social-media hype and actual public support.
If it succeeds peacefully, PTI will have demonstrated its political strength. But if it descends into disorder, the party itself will bear responsibility for the consequences.
Advice to the Detractors
Those continuously predicting the collapse of the State, the Government or the Army should pause and reflect.
Pakistan has survived wars, terrorism, economic crises, political upheavals and repeated institutional confrontations.
No responsible Pakistani should derive satisfaction from the weakening of the State merely because an opposition party may benefit from it.
Governments come and go; political parties rise and fall; personalities become popular and unpopular. The state remains.
Those who genuinely want Imran Khan to return to politics should encourage him and his supporters to pursue a constitutional and democratic strategy rather than building expectations around conspiracies, secret contacts, military defections and imminent regime collapse.
A political leader becomes stronger by demonstrating political wisdom, not by keeping his followers permanently angry.
Advice to All Political Parties
This advice is not confined to PTI. The PML-N, PPP and all other political parties must also look beyond the next election. Pakistan cannot afford perpetual political warfare.
The country needs:
*Political reconciliation instead of permanent confrontation.
*Parliamentary debate instead of street violence.
*Evidence instead of propaganda.
*Institutional reform instead of institutional warfare.
*Accountability based on law instead of selective victimisation.
*Economic stability instead of policies designed merely for electoral advantage.
*Responsible social media instead of organised disinformation.
*A national security consensus instead of exploiting security institutions for political gains.
The opposition has a legitimate duty to hold the government accountable. The government, in turn, has an equally important duty to tolerate legitimate dissent and avoid unnecessary confrontation.
But there is one line that no political party should cross:
Pakistan’s National institutions, National security and Constitutional order must never become hostages to the ambitions of individual politicians.
The Real Test
The real test for Pakistan’s political class is not who can bring the largest crowd to Islamabad, who can trend the most hashtags, or who can manufacture the most sensational narrative.
The real test is who can offer Pakistan stability, good governance, economic recovery, institutional harmony and a credible political alternative.
Political parties should remember an old but enduring truth:
A nation is not strengthened by proving one’s opponents wrong; it is strengthened by proving one’s own policies right.
Pakistan needs politics that compete for the future rather than fighting endlessly over the past.
Let the courts decide cases, Parliament to decide laws, the people to decide governments, and the Constitution to decide the limits of power.
That is the only sustainable way forward.
About the Author
Brigadier (Retd) Asif Haroon Raja, SI (M) is a war veteran. He is Command and Staff Course and War Course qualified, holds an MSc in War Studies, and served as Defence Attaché in Egypt and Sudan, as well as Dean of the Corps of Military Attachés in Cairo. He commanded the largest brigade in Kashmir.
He is a defence, security, and geopolitical analyst, columnist, featured columnist of IntelDrop magazine Washington, author of five books, former Chairman of Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Patron-in-Chief of Centre for Development Studies Think Tank, Director of Meesakh Research Centre; he regularly appears on media platforms.
