Amid Imran Khan’s ‘democracy’ admission, here are all times when Pakistan govt was exposed

From the handling of COVID-19 to the crisis in Afghanistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has been under fire for a range of reasons. Imran Khan’s own statements have failed to veil the dual nature of his government which is engulfed in corruption, as revealed in the Pandora Papers leak. 

While the Pakistani cricket legend pledged to be an anti-corruption campaigner, the leaked documents laid bare how key members of Khan’s inner circle have secretly owned an array of firms and trusts that hold millions of dollars of hidden wealth. His government also drew severe backlash for assisting the Taliban as the terrorists took over Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of western troops.

Here are the times Imran Khan exposed the country he leads, Pakistan:

Pandora Papers

Imran Khan rose to power in 2018 on the back of the pledge to arrest Pakistan’s “corrupt” political elites. But in less than three years, the massive investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has alleged that Khan’s government’s prominent members including the donors to his ruling party, families of military generals have moved millions of dollars of wealth through the offshore companies. 

Notably, the two prominent members in the Pandora Papers leak are Khan’s cabinet members. Pakistan’s Water Resources Minister Moonis Elahi and Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin were among over 700 other Pakistani citizens. While the ownership of offshore holding companies is legal, the instrument is most frequently used to avoid tax liability or to keep huge financial transactions under the table. 

Elahi and Tarin were not only high-ranking members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as other officials whose holdings were exposed include the son of the Prime Minister’s former finance and revenue adviser Waqar Masood Khan, the brother of Industries Minister Khusro Bakhtyar, and former water resources minister, Faisal Vawda. While any prominent action is pending by the Khan-led government, at the time of the leak, Pakistan PM on 3 October 2021 said the government ‘welcomes’ the Pandora Papers revelations. 

Afghanistan crisis

The unprecedented turn of events in Afghanistan shaped global politics this year with the agenda of the South Asian country being ruled by the Taliban, dominating all events. While most nations were scrambling resources to help vulnerable people in Afghanistan as the Taliban reconquered the country after two decades, the Imran Khan-led government drew backlash for assisting the insurgents in their mission. Even the former Afghan government officials accused Pakistan of majorly helping the Taliban as the group marched into Kabul and claimed control. 

In one of the first responses to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Khan on 16 August 2021 said that the country broke the “shackles of slavery” after on 15 August, the insurgents closed in on the capital of Kabul. While speaking at an event to launch the first phase of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) from Grade 1 to Grade 5, Pakistan PM spoke about the parallel education system that caused the existence of “English medium” schools. According to him, it led to the adoption of “someone else’s culture” in Pakistan.

“When you adopt someone’s culture you believe it to be superior and you end up becoming a slave to it,” he said while adding in the same breath that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is breaking the “shackles of slavery". Meanwhile, Director general of Kabul News Television Ghulam Jelani Zwak told Republic Media Network that Pakistan is supporting terrorism in Afghanistan.

Imran Khan at UNGA

Khan’s third address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as Pakistan Prime Minister was also one of the instances when his government was exposed. He not only attempted to portray his country as the victim of the US’ ungratefulness but also painted a fictional scenario of the Afghanistan crisis and the repercussions of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States. The reality is that Pakistan voluntarily joined the war on terror started by the US to suppress Pashtun nationalism as the country fears the formation of the Pashtun state. Hence, Pakistan backed Islamic nationalism.

In the same video speech, Khan even portrayed the Taliban as a positive force and urged the work leaders to assist the insurgents by bolstering and recognising them. In Afghanistan’s Panjshir, Pakistan’s role in the neighbouring war-torn country was exposed when its military drones and helicopters backed the Taliban in the capture of the Afghan National Resistance Front. 

"We must strengthen the present government, stabilise it for the sake of the people of Afghanistan. What have the Taliban promised? They will respect human rights, they will have an inclusive government, they will not allow the soil to be used by terrorists and they have given amnesty. If the world community incentivises them, encourages them to walk the talk, it will be a win-win situation for everyone,” Khan said about the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan in the UNGA speech.

Even at the UN, India gave a stinging response with facts to Pakistan’s allegations that also included Kashmir. Using the Right to Reply, Sneha Dubey said, “Regrettably, this is not the first time the leader of Pakistan has misused platforms provided by the UN to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country, and seeking in vain to divert the world's attention from the sad state of his country where terrorists enjoy free pass while the lives of ordinary people, especially those belonging to the minority communities, are turned upside down.”

COVID-19 

While the entire world was rocked with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Khan government was significantly exposed in the manner it handled the Coronavirus outbreak. ANI has stated that a leaked government document revealed that instead of buying COVID-19 vaccines for the poor population, Khan’s government was investing in aircraft for VVIPs. The information about the VVIP aircraft was shared by South Asia Press in April 2021 when the country was witnessing a surge of Coronavirus infections.

His government even violated the agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF) by asking the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to delay the special audit report on COVID-related spending after the auditors revealed some significant irregularities in the expenditures, reported The Express Tribune.

'Democracy is Pakistan's biggest fight': Khan

Citing engraved problems in Pakistan, Imran Khan recently said, "We follow their [England] parliament system. But in other countries, the same system has turned into a banana republic because you need moral standards to uphold it. No one can imagine that votes will be sold there, people know how money is utilised in Senates."

"If a politician is even accused of corruption, he can not show his face. God has given everything to Pakistan, but we need to strive towards becoming like this. I see Pakistan's democracy, this is our biggest fight. If we are not able to reform our law and order system, our nation will not progress," he added.

IMAGE: PTI