SCO Summit and PTI’s “Red Flags

How PTI’s Call for Protests During the SCO Summit Could Spark Chaos and Damage Pakistan’s Global Standing

In the 1970s, many revolutionaries were deeply influenced by Mao Zedong and his vision of revolution. Pakistanis, in particular, admired him because, during the 1965 war with India, China had stood steadfastly in support of Pakistan. The fiery rhetoric Mao used to challenge not only the United States but also the Soviet Union, despite its claims to be a communist power, resonated strongly with us. He criticized both superpowers and condemned India’s expansionist policies, especially its occupation of Kashmir.

During the early years of that decade, Mao’s writings were widely available in Urdu, translated into simple booklets that were easy to understand. For revolutionaries, reading and quoting these booklets was almost a requirement, especially during heated debates. The titles of these booklets were simple, often resembling slogans. One such booklet was titled, “Oppose Ultra-Leftism.” As I read it, I came across a phrase that struck me: “Waving a red flag to oppose the red flag.” Decades have passed, but that phrase and the title of the booklet still come to mind when I read newspapers today.

Mao’s message was clear: within revolutionary movements, there are often agents of the ruling elite who infiltrate the ranks and present themselves as hardcore revolutionaries. Once they establish their radical credentials, they push for a hasty confrontation with the ruling elite without adequate preparation. In such a conflict, the ruling elite is sure to prevail. The chaos from such a conflict then provides a pretext for ruthlessly crushing the revolutionaries, leading those who once dreamt of change to despair and hopelessness. Instead of being impressed by these ultra-radicals brandishing the “red flag,” one must be wary of their hidden motives.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering why, on an October morning in 2024, I’m reminiscing about Mao Zedong and his writings. I’ll explain right away: the reason is the recent announcement by some “revolutionary” leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who are calling for Imran Khan’s devotees to gather at D-Chowk in Islamabad on Tuesday, October 15, come what may. It should be noted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will also be held in Islamabad on that very day. The Prime Ministers of Russia and China, as well as the Indian Foreign Minister, who is making a rare visit to Pakistan, will be attending the summit. Despite the tense regional situation, Iran’s Foreign Minister has also promised to participate.

The esteemed guests arriving for the SCO summit will begin to reach Islamabad on Monday, with many top officials from member countries already arriving on the weekend to finalize the agenda and declarations to be issued at the summit’s conclusion. The city’s Red Zone has essentially been cordoned off from the rest of Islamabad due to the conference.

I don’t need to give an example from elsewhere; I, myself, host a live talk show every evening at 8 p.m. on a television channel. For security reasons, the channel’s office, which is technically located in the Red Zone, will be inaccessible from Monday to Wednesday. I’ll be conducting my show from home via a DSNG vehicle. Not just the Red Zone, but the roads leading to it will also be under lockdown for three days. In such a situation, it’s hard to imagine how even the most devoted follower of Imran Khan could reach D-Chowk. Even if a handful manage to make it, I dread to think about the potential consequences.

It seems that PTI’s “revolutionaries,” who are waving the “red flag” and potentially endangering their own party, have forgotten that during Imran Khan’s 2014 sit-in outside Parliament, the Chinese President was scheduled to visit Pakistan. Countless efforts were made to convince Khan to postpone the sit-in for just two days to facilitate the Chinese President’s visit. I can even disclose now that a delegation of Chinese diplomats in Islamabad personally met with Shah Mahmood Qureshi to request this. Yet, Imran Khan refused to budge. Consequently, the Chinese President did not come to Pakistan and, embarrassingly for us, spent the time he was supposed to be in Pakistan in Ahmedabad, the hometown of our “eternal enemy” India’s Prime Minister Modi.

The fact that the Chinese President couldn’t visit Pakistan due to Khan’s sit-in sparked conspiracy theories suggesting that Khan was being used by enemies of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to drive a wedge between Pakistan and China. Later, when PTI came to power in 2018, statements from ministers like Razak Dawood and Murad Saeed against CPEC projects seemed to validate those theories to some extent. Personally, I am always skeptical of conspiracy theories, yet I find it perplexing that if the Chinese Premier is visiting Pakistan after 11 long years, why are Imran’s loyalists being incited to create chaos during his stay?

Had the issue been limited to just PTI’s ultra-revolutionary supporters, I might not have been so worried. However, it is a curious coincidence that on October 10, two U.S. Congress members—Thomas Suozzi and Jack Bergman—wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, expressing concern over Imran Khan’s solitary confinement, essentially providing justification for the planned protests on October 15.

Regular readers of my columns know that I have been a consistent critic of Imran Khan’s politics. I even faced repercussions for this during his tenure. Yet, I sincerely acknowledge that since being ousted from power, he has shown remarkable resilience in keeping his party intact and his supporters mobilized. However, the actions of PTI’s “red flag-waving” revolutionaries regarding the October 15 protests will provide the government and its non-political backers with the pretext to unleash brutal state repression on PTI. The party will be seen as attempting to tarnish Pakistan’s image by instigating unrest during the SCO summit. If only PTI supporters had refrained from picking up the “red flag.”