Islamabad:
Before the digital era, epistolary history is full of personal and open letters, which serves as a crucial window in life and socio -political events of that time.
From the largest poet Urdu Mirza Ghalib to the most important Muslim leader, Bahadur Yar Jung, and the social rights activist Martin Luther King, JR to South Africa, former President Nelson Mandela, his letters transmitted all kinds of world information to life to life And they highlighted their views on their views on their views on social and political issues, injustice and reform needs.
Some of these letters are still considered the best or most influential, since they reveal who writers were and why they were happening at that time. Fast advance until now, last week in Pakistan it can be quite called “letter week” as the former prime minister Imran Khan revived the old tradition by writing open letters consecutive to the head of Army Personnel (COA), Gen Syed also Munir
While highlighting Imran’s concerns about the alleged electoral manipulation, these letters accused the establishment of allowing “corrupt” politicians to return to power and warned about the growing public resentment against the institution. Khan also described the harsh conditions of his imprisonment, including lone confinement and restricted access to the legal advisor, among other things.
However, the response of the army and the government was derogatory. The Army Chief declared that he had not received or intended to read any letter from Khan, emphasizing that such communication would be sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s political advisor, Rana Sanaullah, accused Khan of using letters as a political tool to disseminate antimilitar propaganda. Prime Minister’s assistant argued that, instead of seeking dialogue, Khan tried to manipulate public perception against the army by publishing the letters.
Some political experts see these letters as a strategic movement to keep their political narrative alive despite being in jail. When addressing the COA directly, they argue that Khan has tried to highlight the influence of the military in politics while gathering his followers.
However, they point out that the derogatory response of the military highlights his lack of will to commit to Khan in political matters, at least for now, and could “bother the boss.”
“These letters are nothing more than a communication strategy and a low -risk company to stay relevant in the game,” said Pakistan Legislative Development and Legislative Transparency Institute (Pildat), Ahmed Bilal Mehboob. “The content of the letters is such that this will bother the boss even more, so reconciliation becomes even more difficult, if there was a possibility,” he added.
In response to several questions about the intention and impact, Mehboob said that “these letters are also destined to send a message to the military personnel that I look at, I have tried repeatedly reconcile.”
According to the response of the Army Chief, he said: “I think that the boss’s reaction to the question about the letters could have been better. A simple ‘no comments’ would have been sufficient.”
Professor Tahir Naeem Malik from Numl University said that Imran’s letters show his repeated position that he only wants to speak with the true powerful interested part, a desire that is often criticized by government ministers.
After the failure of government conversations-PTI, said the professor, Khan was trying to openly establish his narration and press the powerful interested parties to meet his demands.
Through the cards, said Professor Malik, Khan has also tried to highlight the difficulties he has faced in jail. “When writing letters, he [Imran] He wants to document his case and restore his narrative. “
When commenting on the response of the Army Chief, Malik said Khan wrote letters open to the COA so that “society in general could be involved in his opinion.”
Malik concluded that Khan has not only tried to press the powerful interested, but also tried to build and present his case before the people. However, he seconded Mehboob in saying that Khan seems to have further disturbed the Army Chief when he opened the letters. “It caused disgust,” he said.
Some political commentators also see Khan’s letters as a sign of despair and an attempt to repair ties with the establishment, while others interpret them as an effort calculated to expose the alleged role of the military in political engineering and influence on the political board.
