As the first phase of the Lok Sabha 2019 election is just a couple of days away, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has upped the ante in an attempt to influence the voters’ decision in the upcoming polls. Recently, Imran Khan tweeted that the Indian government shows a ‘Moral Bankruptcy’ and it defies the International laws, UNSC regulations to continue winning elections.

When ldrs in Israel & India show a moral bankruptcy in their readiness to annex occupied West Bank & IOK in defiance of int law, UNSC resolutions & their own Constitution for votes, don’t their ppl feel a sense of outrage & wonder how far they will go simply to win an election? — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 9, 2019

Firstly, it is downright hilarious that a Pakistani, least of all, is passing sermonising homilies to the leaders of India and Israel beseeching them to comply with the International rules and UNSC resolutions. Imran would do well to realise that those who live in glass houses (read shanties for Pakistan) should not throw stones at others.

Pakistan has been nurturing and sheltering terrorists since time immemorial and actively using them as a state instrument to implement its ‘thousand cuts’ policy to bleed India. UN-designated terrorists such as Hafeez Saeed freely operate in Pakistan, giving speeches at will and contesting elections. JeM founder Masood Azhar is executing his nefarious designs from within the safe custody provided by the Pakistan Army.

Evidence handed over to Pakistan by India conclusively corroborates Pakistan based Jaish-e-Muhammad’s role in the terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. Pakistan has also been grey-listed and is on the verge of being black-listed in the FATF list of countries for not doing enough to curb terrorism emanating from its land. Hence, it is rather amusing that a country like Pakistan which routinely flouts International rules and regulations is displaying such inordinate care for India to uphold the rules.

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Perhaps, it’s germane to invoke a recent interview of Imran Khan to the Financial Times. In an interview to the FT, Imran Khan refused to comment on the plight of fellow Uighur Muslims living in Xinjiang province of China, claiming that he is unaware of them. The atrocities meted out to them is documented but Pakistan PM Imran Khan believes he will get away with it by feigning ignorance.

In fact, it is ironical when an ignoramus like him, who couldn’t uphold his country’s founding principle of extending solidarity for Muslims across the world, is issuing ‘morality’ certificates to others. Pakistan has been disregarding and conjuring up morals as per its whims and fancies to suit its conveniences. So, it doesn’t befit a Prime Minister of a nation that champions ‘Immoral Depravity’ to pass moralising sermons to others.

A few days back, Imran Khan quoted a spurious report refuting India’s allegations of downing a Pakistani falcon (F-16) and blamed BJP of whipping up war hysteria to win the elections. Even after denial by the US defence department of any exercise done to ascertain the number of F-16s with Pakistan, Imran Khan used the misleading report to cast aspersions on the Modi government.

Even while lying about the F-16 count based on an already debunked report on a news portal, Imran Khan had brought up the Indian elections, making evident just how much Pakistan fears the second term of PM Modi.

The truth always prevails and is always the best policy. BJP’s attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria and false claims of downing a Pak F 16 has backfired with US Defence officials also confirming that no F16 was missing from Pakistan’s fleet. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 6, 2019

However, the Indian government, as well as the Indian Armed Forces, have maintained that they have in their possession incriminating evidence establishing the use of F-16s in their planned attack targeting Indian military assets in Jammu and Kashmir following India’s precise airstrikes in Balakot killing hundreds of terrorists holed up in a JeM terror camp.

Recently, the elaborate press conference by IAF hit the last nail in the coffin, debunking the lies peddled by Pakistan regarding the use of F-16s in their operation against India. However, what is more, unsettling is the concerted attempt by Imran Khan to intrude into India’s political space and attempting to affect the outcome of the polls in India.

A weak BJP government at the centre or perhaps a non-BJP government with a friendly disposition towards Pakistan augurs well for it which is currently reeling under tremendous pressure from several international entities and countries due to Modi government’s adroit diplomatic manoeuvres.

Under the previous UPA governments, Pakistan had been able to continue its agenda of creating chaos in India through terrorist attacks, encouraging separatists and international lobbying without the fear of strong retribution. Perhaps that is the reason the Pakistani leadership is growing so restless about the Indian elections, they would love to go back to an era where they could wound the Indian pride, kill Indian citizens and soldiers and hope to go unpunished.

Pakistan and its ISI backed stooges have in the run-up to 2019 elections openly and unabashedly supported the Congress party. Interestingly, in the aftermath of the Balakot airstrikes against terror camps in Pakistan, Pakistani government representatives and media have frequently used the lines of argument used by Congress leaders in their desperate attempts to malign India.

Many of Congress’ leaders have tried to peddle conspiracy theories about the Pulawama attack and ask the proof of the Balakot airstrikes, exactly what Pakistan has been doing. This, combined with continuous narrative peddling of ‘bilateral talks’, peace, cooperation and virtue signalling about the Indian government’s stand on Kashmir, worked really well to blur the lines between the Indian opposition and Pakistan. A statement issued by joint opposition parties in Indian under Rahul Gandhi was used by Pakistan’s official channels to malign the government of India.

#India: 21 Opposition parties express deep anguish over #Modi‘s blatant politicization of prevailing security situation https://t.co/zZTimuRovj — Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) February 28, 2019

Khan fears that Modi’s re-election will be detrimental to the fortunes of Pakistan which are in the verge of a severe economic crisis and somehow trying to pull itself out of the abyss. Khan knows that with Modi at the helm in India, the morale of the Indian Armed Forces will always be high and they will be given complete autonomy to thwart the misadventures plotted by Pakistani sponsored terrorists and cause irreparable damages in retaliation. An empowered India under a strong Modi government will continue its policy of marginalising and isolating Pakistan. It is this fear of Modi that is compelling Imran Khan to denounce BJP and meddle in the Indian elections.

However, Pakistan, desperate as it is to salvage its rapidly sinking international support and have some say left in the geopolitical arena of the Indian subcontinent, perhaps have realised that in their attempt to vilify PM Modi and BJP for taking a strong stand against them, they are actually damaging the Congress’ chances, however feeble, of winning in the elections. The similarity between the statements made by Congress and Pakistan against the Modi government is by now evident to every average Indian. Perhaps, that is why, within hours of bitching about PM Modi and BJP, Imran Khan has suddenly come up with a statement that he hopes bilateral ties will improve with a BJP government in India for the second time.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he thinks there may be a better chance of peace talks with India if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the general election due to begin there on Thursday https://t.co/pyxNvFVs5U — Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) April 10, 2019

It is almost hilarious that the above statement by Pakistan has come barely 24 hours after they ran media reports vilifying BJP’s election manifesto and hailing Rahul Gandhi’s political rants.

#BJP‘s election manifesto is voice of isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant, says #Congress president #RahulGandhi https://t.co/tZJzpKy814 — Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) April 9, 2019

Seeing their flip-flops, one can almost begin thinking whether Pakistan is playing the role of an undeclared Mahagathbandhan ally for Congress. When they realised that their continuous barbs against PM Modi might actually benefit him in elections because it is almost synchronous with the opposition’s lines, they have switched strategies.

PM Modi’s 5 years in office have been devastating for Pakistan. The old India that just kept quiet after repeated terror attacks and open support to separatist elements, was awakened from its slumber and has hit Pakistan back hard every time, with surgical strikes, international isolation, suspension of bilateral talks, counterstrikes at LoC and Balakot air strikes. Pakistan’s bluff of ‘gun to the head’ diplomacy has been punctured and shredded to pieces by the Modi government. Like a sinking man clutching at straws, Imran Khan, the puppet of the Pakistani army, is now probably hoping for some miracle in the Indian elections, that would bring him some breathing air.