Welcome Imran, Thank you Gen Asim

This is realpolitik at its ruthless best. It can eat its own words, ditch its principles, kill its friends, and sleep with its enemies.

Army chief Gen Asim meeting Imran Khan's representatives proves yet again that there are no permanent enemies nor permanent friends in politics—only permanent interests.

General Asim's interest is to find a way out of the Imran problem. Two years of bashing, hundreds of cases, and excessive use of force haven't broken his party's back. In fact, it is stronger and more popular. You can’t stabilize the country if you can’t stabilize the political equation. That can’t happen without engaging Imran.

Also, General Asim's establishment is feeling international heat. Diplomatic sources have told me that every day is another bad day for Pakistan's image and standing. No serious capital is buying what General Asim's PR machine is selling at home—that Imran is anti-Pakistan, and that the country can function much better without him. Saudis, UAE walas, Qataris, and even the Chinese are bamboozled by the state of half-pregnancy that Gen Asim's Establishment is in when it comes to dealing with Imran. They don't know what to make of the next month much less the next year as far as Pakistan's political game is concerned. No certainty not investment. No investment no claims of success. No claims of success no legacy. No legacy then just shame and sorrows.

On top of it all, you have the Trump stomp coming in soon. London and Washington demanding "Justice for Imran", Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Beijing asking for clarity. Delhi and Kabul joining forces for a two-front and terrorists expanding their operations at home. This is Gen Asim's real world that you don't hear about because of the fog of flatulent propaganda about things being great. Gen Asim has to cut a deal with Imran to sort out these core issues.

As urgently, Imran has to cut a deal with Asim to straighten out his issue, which is only one: he wants to be out of jail. Contrary to tales of bravery that twisted sisters play out before the media, he is not in a happy state. His mortal fear is that those among his party who are negotiating on his behalf are actually quite happy that he is in jail because they are milking his misery. So, he wants to be direct with the army.

Besides his party is in tatters and rags and General Asim is here to stay for three more years. Imran doesn't want to suffer this long. He wants to be out and if this requires shaking the very hand that he has been alleging to be holding a knife to his throat so be it. "I will accept you as the army chief and salute your sagacity if I am let off the hook." That's the bottom line of Imran.

This is realpolitik at its ruthless best. It can eat its own words, ditch its principles, kill its friends, and sleep with its enemies.

But if the country can benefit from these parallel U-turns by Gen Asim and Imran Khan, why not? Who will not benefit from this breakthrough (if it takes real shape and moves forward) is the PML-N. Its leaders didn't learn a thing from their history and fooled themselves into thinking that Imran and the Establishment breach were permanent and that they could be longterm beneficiaries of this rupture. They can't even complain about Imran's reps meeting Gen Asim considering that their own team is engaged in talks with the PTI. If a settlement is made between Pindi and Bani Gala's two boys, the PML-N will have the last cry as they have been played again like a fauji band!