Ordinary People Aren’t to Blame. The Story of Who Really Pulls the Strings

By Nisar Ahmad


The ordinary person forms opinions under the influence of electronic and social media. That is why it is better to stop blaming PTI’s ordinary workers or supporters.

In 2005 or 2006 there was no social media, but when the state and the establishment were quietly promoting the Taliban in Swat, some religious figures began holding Quran lessons and preaching sessions using loudspeakers mounted on mosques. These activities were outside the legal framework. One example was the Panjpiri cleric from Binawria village who became locally popular and later emerged as an important figure among the Taliban. Around the same time, FM radio stations were set up in different areas, broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Small radios were imported from China in bulk, and soon they were everywhere, from streets and neighborhoods to people’s pockets. None of this could have happened without unofficial state support, and this entire environment created a new atmosphere whose consequences everyone has seen.

After social media emerged, the state, due to various political circumstances, decided to promote Imran Khan. Television channels and social media were used extensively for this purpose, and the country later witnessed the results. International powers were involved alongside the national establishment in these campaigns. The projection of the Taliban in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and later operations against them are examples of the same pattern.

The real point is that the ordinary person does not have much control. He is swept along by the flow of circumstances and narratives. This is why blaming PTI’s workers today is not fair. The real responsibility lies with those who designed these projects, ran them and expanded them. This includes powerful circles, senior generals, television channel owners, journalists, judges and the government officials who took part in the entire process. They are the ones who should be held accountable, because whatever happened to the nation happened through these powerful groups.

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