The Mentor Got Neither Medicine Nor Release; the Soldier Fell in ‘Love with Imran’

For the past few weeks, governor’s rule had been like a guest everyone talked about at every gathering, but nobody mentioned by name at the door. On Sunday, it finally arrived, baggage and all.

At a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the imposition of emergency rule and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was approved. The president signed the summary, and Dr Fakhr Alam was appointed the new chief secretary. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will now run the province’s administration with an interim cabinet, following the submission of his report. This was the constitutional requirement introduced through the 18th Amendment: a decision could not be taken without the governor’s report. According to reports, this is the fourth time in the province’s history that such a measure has been imposed.

According to the information available so far, Sohail Afridi has been arrested, although there has been no official confirmation yet. He is the same Sohail Afridi who, upon being elected chief minister, declared: “I will no longer die in any war. This time, I will die in love with Imran.” In this way, Imran Khan’s player became a “political martyr” in Imran Khan’s name.

The man who had been struggling to gain access to his mentor and secure his medicine may now find himself fighting for his own release from behind bars. The imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could prove unfortunate for Imran Khan. The emotional impulsiveness of Imran Khan’s “youngsters and street fighters” has brought him down. The one voice still being raised in his favour has now been silenced.

Politics is about wisdom and prudence, not emotionalism. Restraint also matters greatly in politics, something PTI has perhaps rarely practised. Imran Khan’s fate has been handed over to those who themselves have received their injections and settled abroad.

First, the line that social media had been laughing at now appears to be moving beyond humour and turning into news. When poetry is recited in politics, sometimes its price has to be paid. However, the “political martyr” narrative remains just that: a narrative. It may earn the party sympathy, but sympathy neither runs an office, nor prepares a budget, nor pays for the trucks needed to organise a rally. The entire machinery of protest had been built on the resources of the provincial government.

Governor’s rule imposed under Article 234 can last for a maximum of six months. Barrister Gohar says the decision could be reversed within days. That is a hope, not a prediction. When one side controls state institutions, time tends to sit with that side. This time, however, the clock is ticking in the form of a constitutional stopwatch that will automatically stop after six months.

The federal government had a concrete justification for imposing governor’s rule and emergency in the province. The argument that carried weight was that the province was facing a crisis of terrorism and law and order, while the provincial government was not cooperating with the federation. The real test of governor’s rule is whether the security situation improves over the next six months or whether only the political landscape changes. Legal experts are also divided over the possibility of a judicial challenge, as Article 236(2) of the Constitution bars courts from questioning the proclamation of emergency.

What could happen next? One possibility is that political pressure, a judicial challenge or negotiations could soften the decision within days or weeks. The second is that the full six months run their course, causing organisational damage to PTI while also earning it political sympathy. The third is that a major incident on the streets changes the calculations of both sides. No one can predict today which of these scenarios will unfold. Anyone who claims to know is less an analyst and more a fortune-teller.

The host has changed, but the guest is the same one who was always expected to arrive. The question is when he will leave, and what condition he will leave the house in.

Punjab may have died, or perhaps a layer of dust has settled over it in the form of Maryam Nawaz’s performance. Sindh’s “Bhutto” refuses to die. Balochistan is half paralysed. The rest of Pakistan remains suspended from the laces of military boots, as it always has. Gen Z and Gen Alpha think in minutes but lose their momentum in seconds. Nothing is going to happen under these circumstances. Better to leave it to time. Time will find its own way.