X-account or party leadership, who is really representing Imran Khan?

Imad Khaliq

Ahadah, BBC Urdu, Islamabad

Pros and Cons of X-Account or Party Leadership Representing Imran Khan

Pros: 

1. Consistent Messaging:  

  - The official X account (formerly Twitter) can maintain a consistent narrative, directly conveying Imran Khan’s stance without misinterpretation.  

2. Wider Reach: 

   - Social media accounts have a global audience, enabling Imran Khan’s views to reach supporters and international stakeholders quickly.  

3. Rapid Response:

   - The X account can respond swiftly to unfolding events, ensuring Imran Khan’s voice remains active in public discourse.  

4. Centralized Communication:

   - A clear digital presence reduces reliance on intermediaries, minimizing the risk of conflicting messages from different party leaders.  

Cons:

1. Lack of Direct Authority: 

   - While the X account represents Imran Khan’s views, it lacks the decision-making power of party leadership, potentially causing confusion.  

2. Authenticity Concerns: 

   - Followers may question whether posts truly reflect Imran Khan’s thoughts, especially if managed by a social media team.  

3. Limited Engagement: 

   - Social media can’t replace in-person leadership, which is crucial for rallying grassroots support and engaging with local communities.  

4. Internal Party Dynamics:  

   - Overreliance on social media may sideline key party leaders, causing internal friction and weakening organizational cohesion.  

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s narrative, whether political, electoral or protest, has repeatedly become a problem for rival parties. But now that he has been in jail for more than a year, the PTI often faces difficulties in conveying it to the public.

If we examine the statements issued from Imran Khan’s social media account during his imprisonment, who has faced dozens of cases after his ouster from power in 2022, and the statements of the party leadership, it seems as if there is a clear contradiction in communication, understanding, consultation or ideology.

The statements issued from Imran Khan’s social media accounts adopt strong words and stances, while the tone of the party leadership seems to be somewhat softer.

When the PTI protested in Islamabad in late November, there was a difference in the party’s social media accounts and the leaders’ positions, even as reports of disagreement within the party over the location of the sit-in, the number of deaths of workers, and the return of the leadership after the sit-in ended abruptly were active.

In these circumstances, the question arises as to who is actually representing Imran Khan, who is imprisoned in Adiala Jail, and whether Barrister Gohar’s soft stance should be considered correct or Imran Khan’s aggressive statements on the X account?

What was said on Imran Khan’s social media account?

In a statement issued on the evening of December 2 from the X account of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, he expressed grief and sorrow over the deaths and injuries of workers during the PTI’s Islamabad march, called it the ‘Islamabad massacre’ and likened it to the ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ incident, calling the rulers the ‘General Dire of the present era’.

The statement issued on his social media account also said that he would ‘take the case of the killed workers to all forums including the United Nations.’

A statement issued from his social media account said, “Neither I nor the Pakistani nation will back down. If we give up today, the Pakistani nation will have no future.”

His statement further said, “Peaceful protest is the fundamental right of every Pakistani and it can be done anywhere in Pakistan. On May 9, 25 of our workers were martyred. This time, too, peaceful protesters were shot and bloodshed was played, and dozens of citizens were martyred, which was not done even in the worst dictatorship.”

The statement issued by the PTI also demanded that the Supreme Court form an impartial judicial commission to investigate the massacre and give the strictest punishment to those who ordered the massacre and those involved in it.

Whereas, if we examine the conversation that PTI Chairman Barrister Gauhar had with the media outside Adiala Jail after his meeting with Imran Khan on December 2, he used somewhat softer words.

Barrister Gauhar's soft-spoken interpretation of Imran Khan

Speaking to media representatives outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Barrister Gauhar said that Imran Khan has given a message to those who came out on his call for protest on November 24 that they should all remain one and united. People will try to create differences among you, but you all have to remain united.

Barrister Gauhar further said that “the founder of PTI has a message for his people that why the shot was fired, there should be protests in the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies as well as why this happened and whatever is discussed, it should be in the assembly.”

Barrister Gauhar said that “Imran Khan’s message is that whether we were in Sangjani or D-Chowk, protests take place where it has an impact.” Wherever there was to be a protest, shots should not have been fired, especially when all the people had not yet reached that place.’

In response to a question regarding the deaths in the recent protest in D Chowk, Barrister Gauhar said, ‘We are a democratic party and we do not make any irresponsible statement. Regarding the deaths in the D Chowk protest, we gave the same statement as the details of which we had, 12 deaths. We say that we have expressed our indifference to the claim that hundreds of deaths have occurred and our statement will remain the same until we have clear facts regarding this.’

Who runs Imran Khan’s social media account and how does he get this position from Imran Khan?

PTI leader Syed Zulfiqar (Zulfi) Ali Bukhari, while talking to BBC, said that PTI Imran Khan’s social media accounts run his statements.

He further said that the social media team receives Imran Khan’s statements through his legal team, i.e. lawyers.

‘Imran Khan has been in jail for the past 18 months and it is the legal team and lawyers who meet him who give his messages to the social media team.’

To a question whether these messages are written or verbal, Zulfi Bukhari said that since writing is not allowed in jail, all these messages are verbal, which the lawyers who meet Imran Khan dictate to the social team.

When asked about the difference between the party statements or stance issued by Imran Khan’s social media account and the statements made by the political leadership, he said, “I do not think there is any contradiction or difference in the party’s narrative, stance or statements.”

He further said, “Imran Khan has been in jail for the last 18 months and there may be a difference of about nineteen to twenty minutes in writing his statements verbally, but I do not think there is any difference in the party’s principled position.”

He said that it should also be kept in mind that the statements made verbally should also be seen in the context of the writer’s choice of words.

He said that in such a situation, a slight difference in the choice of words is very natural.

He clarified, “I am saying with great responsibility that no one’s narrative or position is different, especially there is no difference or contradiction in Imran Khan’s position.”

Referring to statements regarding the number of deaths of workers in the recent Islamabad March, he said, “The figures of the deaths of our 12 workers are those that have also been confirmed in the international media. They say that these are the figures that are confirmed, we have all the data on them.”

“But we fear that there have been many more deaths, but we are not telling their number because we are yet to receive their confirmation and data.”

Social media accounts or party leadership, who should be considered the real spokesperson for Imran Khan?

When asked about the strict choice of words in Imran Khan’s statements on social media accounts and the statements of the party leadership, Zulfi Bukhari said, “Let the people decide.”

“The people agree on what they consider to be weighty and credible. This decision belongs to the people, let them see what they think is best.”

He once again clarified that whether it is the party leadership or the statement issued on social media accounts, both are an expression of the party’s position and the “principle position is the same in both.”

He further said that what Imran Khan says is “the same thing that is said in the party and social media statements. Only the choice of words can be a difference of nineteen to twenty.”

But does this contradiction harm the PTI?

Senior journalist and anchorperson Talat Hussain told the BBC that there is a complete contradiction between the party leadership and the statements issued from Imran Khan’s social media account and this is not just a choice of words but part of a well-thought-out party policy line.

He further said that such contradictions in the PTI’s position are a matter of ‘policy of exaggeration’ which is a result of a limited policy line.

He gives an example that this is why contradictions have emerged on the number of deaths.

He says that when the party tries to prove itself in a limited way, it brings Barrister Gauhar to the fore and when it wants to convey a ‘message based on lies and exaggeration’ to the public, statements are issued from social media accounts.

He said that there is a big difference between using words like ‘massacre’, ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ and ‘General Dyer’ and talking about 12 deaths.

Commenting on whether this policy would benefit or harm the party, Talat Hussain said that PTI has always been sending a ‘message of exaggeration’ to its supporters. ‘The party knows that if it wants to do confrontational politics, it has to provoke its supporters.’

However, he believes that PTI is also benefiting from this contradiction.

Related Topics

#Social_Media #Pakistan_Tehreek_e_Insaf #Pakistan #Politics #Imran_Khan