Nawaz Sharif has Killed Many Birds With One Stone With His Statement

Cyril Almeida was flown into Multan on a special plane arranged by the government of Pakistan to interview Nawaz Sharif. A private plane, ASF Of Multan was sent a letter in advance to give him access to the lounge after the plane landed at 2:30 pm declared as a “Special Flight”. I have yet to see a plane being sent to a journalist by any government for an interview. Set that aside for now, since it is established that the interview was of the utmost importance because NS does not have the authority to have any letter issued to the ASF, only the GOP does. And the GOP did.

So what was so important about this interview? And why only to Cyril Almeida, the one who was contacted to break The Dawn Leaks as well?

Well, put yourself in NS’s shoes for a second. Maligning the army for months is not catching traction in Pakistan neither maligning the judiciary is. The former absolutely not, the latter may be a bit. Results for “Give Respect To The Vote” would have come long after the end of his trial and sentencing. A narrative that could have only been tested during elections. But that would have been too late. A new narrative against the army was needed even at the cost of Pakistan’s international image. So what could be that narrative which can kill many birds with one stone? Answer is: Terrorism.

This gives oxygen to the American narrative. The Indian narrative. The Afghani narrative. The narrative of PTM, MQM, Brahmdagh Bugti and the FATF. Did I say the FATF? Yes I did.

June is when the FATF decides to declare us on the black list or not. Grey list we are already on without being announced. A month before that decision, to give an interview creating chaos, insinuating ties and support, gives life to the argument that Pakistan is funding terrorism. And by June PML-N government will no longer be there. If we are put on FATF Black List, sanctions come on Pakistan. And what better narrative to have right before the elections that, When NS is no longer in power, the country has gone into chaos, diplomatically, image wise and economically after the FATF sanctions.

Rupee depreciates further. Stock markets tank. INDIA creates pressure on Pakistan. America supports the Indian narrative. Army gets blamed. PTM gets a new lease on life. Afghanistan screams “We Told You So”. Country goes into political and economic anarchy and who wins? NS does. He does because it proves to the world that if not him, then Pakistan is not governable.

And if the statement was not made with ill intentions then it makes him even more dangerous because if a person like me can draw so many consequential ramifications towards the future of Pakistan by such a statement then NS has a whole team of advisors and money to buy the top political advice in the world. Why couldn’t they see what a person like me is seeing?

This is not a mistake, this is deliberate. This is intentional. This is not politics. This is creating anarchy. This is historical. So historical that no head of state has ever done such a thing in modern day history. Not even the ones who were impeached like Nixon and Clinton, or like the ones who were arrested like Lula or Pinochet or even the ones who were overthrown like Edhi Amin or Shinawatra.

Nobody.

Nawaz Shareef again takes the cake. A cake full of poison, but not poisonous for Pakistan. Because Pakistan will survive this as well. Insha Allah. But poisonous for his political career.

By: Mir Mohammad Ali Khan (MirMAK)