THE curse of the past refuses to leave us. The murmurs are rising. It cannot go on like this. Something is bound to happen in November.

Much of the whispered analysis centres on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ties with the military establishment. It is understandable given the history of the civil and military leadership in the country. Some commentators are again concentrating on the scheduled change of army chief, which is a context that is pretty much, and still, permanent to the state of Pakistan. Yet a finer point awaits some urgent attention from those who want to have some grasp of what is happening right now. This point relates to the patience and willingness of Imran Khan to allow himself to be used as only a player, even if a major one, for someone else’s gains.

There is a clear sense of desperation in Imran Khan’s voice — much of it because of the absence of an avenue for venting his anger. A more intelligent government would have somehow helped the PTI leader create an impression that he was accomplishing a few tasks and achieving a few goals along the way as he moved to lay his claim to the prized trophy. The government is responsible for creating this pressure-cooker situation. Some minor timely concessions could perhaps have taken some of the wind out of the ambitious PTI sails.

There is a clear sense of desperation in Imran Khan’s voice — much of it because of the absence of an avenue for venting his anger.

That’s one dimension. There may be many other, more personal, reasons for the toughening, almost threatening, tone that Imran Khan has progressively used. He has repeatedly been heard saying how some sudden occurrences have had a profoundly negative impact on his protest just as it was promising to deliver some big dividends. He and, on cue, his lieutenants have been so upset with these negative changes in circumstances that they don’t quite mind the calls that loudly declare them as unreasonable.

The latest is the PTI’s play on the tensions at the border with India. Only someone who has imbibed the ultimate determination of a diehard guerrilla fighter could allow himself such a line. Much worse, this could well be the words of someone really and actually committed to a do-or-die, last, attempt.

Imran Khan causes a scare. He posed an intimidating challenge during his prolonged stay on the container during his party’s first siege of the capital Islamabad. He did eventually disembark from his high horse, in the wake of the Army Public School tragedy. For the duration, he occupied the container as an obstacle to this country’s movement forward, he elicited the most fretful and deeply resigned remarks from everyone regarding what would make him call off his advance.

No one could rightly predict as to what it was that would peg him back and leave that alone, what would as much as make him call a momentary halt to his scheme. Those who did venture a guess did that at the risk of losing credibility. There were some, however, who insisted on seeing it in the context of Imran Khan’s personality, the doggedness he has shown all along in his public life. Take out the level of determination that has over time gone into it and you will be left looking for leadership qualities in Imran Khan.

Imagine for a moment, what could it be that would have forced the PTI leader to end his container assault on Islamabad back then? Could he have settled for the concession of a debate in parliament, something that you would expect the PPP to agree to on face value? Or, could the great Imran Khan, who had been watched by millions restlessly moving atop the container, have permitted himself to be ridiculed by signing an agreement such as the one Dr Tahirul Qadri had entered into with the PPP government sometime back?

It is not very difficult to realise that one part of Imran Khan’s strategy is to place him in situations he cannot easily escape from — or simply situations he can never hope to come out of. He quite assiduously created that inescapable corner for himself during the container siege and a more frustrated, more desperate Imran could be even less inclined to find ways out, short of what he believes to be a decisive and final settlement with the Nawaz Sharif government.

This is an extremely dangerous situation. It is actually quite scary. Once the march on Islamabad begins it will be difficult to find solutions and packages that would convince Imran Khan to give up the chase. Maybe, it is already too late. Imran is ready and at his most stubborn to see his mission through.

It is a mission which must be taken seriously by those who are intent upon seeing the current political confrontation exclusively in the context of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s relationship with the top military leadership in the country. If the old pawn and dugdugi theory has to be applied once again some thought must also be given to how different personalities would react differently to the realisation that they have been used by a powerful establishment.

A Tahirul Qadri might act as though he has won a huge reprieve from a PPP-led government even when the whole world is declaring his as a futile attempt at conjuring up a revolution. A more earnest fulltime politician not satisfied just with allegiance from his blindly following murids could have found it more difficult to conceal his embarrassment at the deal he did or did not manage to secure. Imagine how much pride would be at stake on the part of someone who is so keen on digging his heels so deep —someone who is so determined to take a position where he wants to rule out any thought of getting out of it early.

That’s a horrifying thought.

The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Lahore.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016