In an interview with a private TV channel broadcast Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan did not mention the Covid-19 pandemic resurging in its second wave, not even to blame the opposition rallies which he had earlier accused of spreading the disease, ignoring the rallies he himself has been holding of late. However, he did take the opportunity of attempting a claim of independence by saying that he had not received any pressure on either foreign policy, or in making appointments, from the armed forces. This defence of the military might be seen an attempt to return to the narrative of the past, whose going missing in recent days was causing comment, of the government and the military being on the same page. It might also be seen as an attempt to counter the opposition narrative, of the military being responsible for the present state of the nation because it had interfered in politics and had brought forth an incompetent leadership, in the shape of Mr Khan and his colleagues.
Apparently in his anxiety to show the absence of any means of pressure on him, he made a strange admission: “The ISI and IB know whatever I do and whoever I talk to on telephone.” His claim that the CIA and other agencies did the same to their leaders cannot be conceded because he has a track record of mangling facts (such as his faux pas placing Germany and Japan next to one another), but even if it was true, such a practice would not be justifiable because of a Western example. Both the ISI, and IB, he might remember, are subordinate to him, not indirectly, but in the very real sense that their respective Directors General are supposed to report to him. He should not have been so casual about revealing an arrangement where subordinate agencies spy on him.
Mr Khan might have felt that making such subordination public would win him brownie points among the military, but he should also realize that disclosure of operational details, or at least their confirmation at his level, cannot do any good to either the ISI or the IB. He has also revealed, though inadvertently, that the room for maneuver of future PMs in diplomacy, will be reduced, for foreign leaders, will know that the conversation is being monitored.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/29/whos-minding-the-store/
Who’s minding the store?: Editorial in Pakistan Today, Nov 30, 2020
In an interview with a private TV channel broadcast Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan did not mention the Covid-19 pandemic resurging in its second wave, not even to blame the opposition rallies which he had earlier accused of spreading the disease, ignoring the rallies he himself has been holding of late. However, he did take the opportunity of attempting a claim of independence by saying that he had not received any pressure on either foreign policy, or in making appointments, from the armed forces. This defence of the military might be seen an attempt to return to the narrative of the past, whose going missing in recent days was causing comment, of the government and the military being on the same page. It might also be seen as an attempt to counter the opposition narrative, of the military being responsible for the present state of the nation because it had interfered in politics and had brought forth an incompetent leadership, in the shape of Mr Khan and his colleagues.
Apparently in his anxiety to show the absence of any means of pressure on him, he made a strange admission: “The ISI and IB know whatever I do and whoever I talk to on telephone.” His claim that the CIA and other agencies did the same to their leaders cannot be conceded because he has a track record of mangling facts (such as his faux pas placing Germany and Japan next to one another), but even if it was true, such a practice would not be justifiable because of a Western example. Both the ISI, and IB, he might remember, are subordinate to him, not indirectly, but in the very real sense that their respective Directors General are supposed to report to him. He should not have been so casual about revealing an arrangement where subordinate agencies spy on him.
Mr Khan might have felt that making such subordination public would win him brownie points among the military, but he should also realize that disclosure of operational details, or at least their confirmation at his level, cannot do any good to either the ISI or the IB. He has also revealed, though inadvertently, that the room for maneuver of future PMs in diplomacy, will be reduced, for foreign leaders, will know that the conversation is being monitored.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/29/whos-minding-the-store/
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan