Prime Minister Imran speaks lie "with a straight face"

Hassan Khan

The interview of Prime Minister Imran Khan with select group of anchors on Monday has added more confusion to the already plagued state of affairs in Pakistan particularly on economic, security and political fronts.

Imran Khan interviews reminded me of a program on Khyber television, where Imran Khan was part of the panel along with former MNA Kashmala Tariq. It was 2005 or 2006.

In the middle of program Miss Tariq turned her face to Imran Khan and quite bluntly tells him; "Mr... you are speaking lie with a straight face."

On Monday, the prime minister right from his statements on issue of falling prices of rupee/raising prices of dollars by State bank of Pakistan; to his statements on the issue of missing persons; to Akhtar Mengal's inability to meet Chief of Army staff Gen Qamar Bajwa on the issue; there is a spree of clarifications ducking the PM totally.

The Prime Minister said it with straight face that 'he came to know about the hike in dollar price via media. Here come the State Bank of Pakistan. The bank clarified that prior taking the decision it informed the government a day earlier. Whom did the State Bank informed? The finance minister Asad Umar - a man who manages the country economy at the moment. But Asad has already accepted in a media interaction that he was informed by the bank; and he in return informed the prime minister about the bank decision. A lie with a straight face, Mr Khan. 

Then comes the statement about the issue of missing persons. Imran Khan during his election campaign already promised to work for recovery of all missing persons.

But when reminded on Monday, he said, the issue has been debated thoroughly with the military leadership. The military leadership agreed to pursue the matter. And he called the Baloch nationalist leader Akhtar Jan Mengal – as Mengal has joined the coalition on issue of recovering missing persons- to meet with chief of army staff Gen Qamar Bajwa. Akhtar Mengal did not turned out for the meeting, said the prime minister.

But what happen a day latter? Akhtar Mengal – a highly respected politician- responded on his social media netwrok – twitter. The PM never told him about meeting with COAS. However, when he did receive a call from the prime minister office, when he was busy in by election campaign in remove areas of Baluchistan. But the call said, “tomorrow you (Mengal) has a meeting with Prime Minister.” As I was not able to reach Islamabad on such a short notice, and the matter too gone silent. Mengal said he is all time available for meeting with any person including Gen Bajwa on the issue anytime anywhere.

And the PM got a bloody nose.  

Overall, the prime minister extended media interview turned out to be a disappointing performance. All the time during his interview he was untruthful, waffling, professing ignorance and avoiding straight answers to simple questions.

On the issue of external policy affairs, the PM was either dodgy or speaking lie, as said, with ‘a straight face’. 

Initially, Prime Minister was giving an impression that he has already taken charge of the external policy formulation. But again look at the analogy he was making of Pakistan security establishment with that of Pentagon influence on US on foreign affairs. This was comparing oranges with apples. Pentagon does not have veto power, while Pakistan security top establishment does have; as history is a witness.

Nobody was expecting the PM to be 'nonsense' on crucial questions related to country bad economy. When he was having no answers he would digress to corruption, corrupt political elites and loans that the previous government had taken.

Pakistanis are sick and tired of these dodgy rhetoric. Prime Minister should have either proceeded against the corrupt or shut this ifs and buts. A number of times Khan had to be reminded to come to the point as often he gone off the track. .

It was astonishing for all to hear, the country's Prime Minister - the top executive authority - telling the nation he learned via media of fall of rupee against the dollar. Its total nonsense Mr. PM. People especially the business community have lost billions of their hard earned money or savings worth billions of rupees. You are playing ignorant or speaking lie "with straight face". You didn't know because the State Bank is autonomous. This is annoying

No doubt, its quite disturbing that the prime minister Khan was having no idea of how to rejuvenate the economy. how to work for wealth creation. But of all the years, or month in government, what you have all learned only is like the essay of a proverbial student who memorized the essay on 'Hockey Match'. And he would reproduce the same essay regardless of what was asked in the test. Niazi only knows corruption and loans. He repeats it ad nauseam, rightly says a post on social media. God help us all.

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