A total of 23 links of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have been dispatched to the FIA…reports Asian Lite News
The social media profiles of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other prominent leaders in Pakistan have been shared with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for forensic test for allegedly sharing controversial content between March 8 and May 9, media reports said.
A total of 23 links of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have been dispatched to the FIA, according to the police, Samaa TV reported.
The police said the links shared are based on the videos and posts of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Murad Saeed and Hammad Azhar.
A forensic test is being conducted on the videos and posts over allegedly anti-state statements contained in the shared links, Samaa TV reported.
The statements of the political leaders will also form part of the JIT’s final report on the May 9 violence cases, the police said.
They also said that prominent PTI personalities and social media handlers kept sharing allegedly offensive material.
The forensic reports of the links will be made part of the investigation report. The police have alleged that the youth were incited against the state through the use of social media, Samaa TV reported.
At least 16 army officers including two Major Generals (GOCs) of Lahore, and some brigadiers are already undergoing court martial proceedings, reports Atul Aneja
The military purge in Pakistan has gathered steam to root out supporters of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan whose early arrest is now on the cards.
Authoritative sources told India Narrative that at least 16 army officers including two Major Generals (GOCs) of Lahore, and some brigadiers are already undergoing court martial proceedings.
As of now, there is silence on the fate of ex-Corps Commander Lahore, who is suspected of involvement in the ransacking of Jinnah House, the corps commanders’ residence in Lahore by insurrectionists on May 9.
There is considerable speculation that former Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Faiz Hameed, is believed to be under house arrest. Some sections in Pakistan consider Gen. Hameed as the mastermind of the mutiny.
As a result of the on-going purge, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir has emerged strongest in the military establishment following to the May 9 incident.
Gen. Munir initiated the military purge soon after the failure of the rebellion marshalled by Khan and his vast network of supporters. It is learnt that the Pak Army Chief, furious at perpetrator of the May 9 mayhem, fully demonstrated his feelings during his visits to various corps and garrisons after the incident.
Pakistan’s former Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (Photo Credit Twitter via ANI)
During these visits the Chief of Army Staff apparently exhorted the rank and file to behave professionally, and root out pro-PTI or any other kind of political inclination from their minds.
Gen. Munir’s line of thought was clear-no mercy would be shown towards those complicit in the May 9 attacks, irrespective of their elite status. Even families of retired and serving generals would be in the firing line.
The purge acquired institutional momentum after the four-day formation commanders conference that began on June 4. The press statement issued after the meeting further amplified the intent of the top military brass to root out Khan’s supporters in the military.
Regarding the ex-PM’s fate, India Narrative has learnt that after his arrest which is only a matter of time, Khan would be tried in a military court and is expected to be awarded long prison sentence.
Besides, at least 14 other leaders of Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Ijaz Chaudhry, Yasmin Rashid, Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Gandapur, Mehmoodul Rashid, Ali Nawaz Awan, Hassan Niazi, Alia Hamza, Kanwal Shozab, Khadija Shah, Aleema Khan, Sheharyar Afridi are also expected to be tried under the Army Act.
The moves would be in tune with the declaration by the formation commanders that “while the legal trials of perpetrators and instigators have commenced, it is time that noose of law is also tightened around the planners and masterminds who mounted the hate ripened and politically driven rebellion against the state and state institutions to achieve their nefarious design of creating chaos in the country”.
By trying the kingpins of the May 9 rebellion under the Army, Khan and his coterie would be unable to seek relief from the judiciary including the Supreme Court, who would have no role in trials in the military courts.
As reported by IN the military is miffed by the role of Pakistani judiciary especially the Supreme Court of Pakistan, including Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and the Lahore High court, which has shielded Khan and his top lieutenants.
On the political front, the much-touted tigers of the PTI are gathering as herd under the umbrella of Jehangir Khan Tareen (JKT)’s Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP). The IPP includes Khan’s one-time loyalists including Ali Zaidi, Imran Ismail, Fawad Chaudhry, Murad Raas, and Kayani among others.
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Islamabad: Former prime minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan virtually addresses people of the nation, on Monday, May 15, 2023.(Photo: IANS/Video Grab)
Asif said Imran’s trial in a military court was more likely to take place provided that evidence of his involvement in the mayhem came to light…reports Asian Lite News
He also confirmed that no case had been registered against Imran so far in connection with the May 9 attacks, the media outlet reported.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the chances are that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could be tried in a military court in connection with his alleged involvement in the May 9 attacks on civil and military installations in different cities — days after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had hinted at that possibility too, a media outlet reported.
The Defence Minister told The Express Tribune that the former premier could stand trial in a military court if evidence of his involvement in the May 9 violence surfaced in the coming days.
He also confirmed that no case had been registered against Imran so far in connection with the May 9 attacks, the media outlet reported.
“Definitely… there are chances that Imran Khan can be tried in a military court,” the minister said while responding to a question if the deposed premier could be prosecuted under the Army Act.
Earlier, Asif was reported as saying that no decision had been made in connection with trying Imran under the Army Act but he had not ruled out that possibility, allegedly on the grounds that the PTI chief was the mastermind behind the May 9 violence and knew everything about what was happening on that day.
Now, Asif has said Imran’s trial in a military court was more likely to take place provided that evidence of his involvement in the mayhem came to light, Express Tribune reported.
The Defence Minister’s remarks have come on the heels of the statement by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who said Imran would face trial in a military court for his “role” in the May 9 attacks.
Operation to dismantle Imran Khan's network in Pakistan steams into Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.(photo:IN)
Fresh steps have been taken to break-up the Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, following key arrests, reports Atul Aneja
The operation to dismantle the eco-system marshalled by Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has continued its steady advance, but some key roadblocks need to be cleared before a new military-backed dispensation can assume power in Islamabad.
In the last 24 hours, fresh steps have been taken to break-up the Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, following key arrests.
These include detention of former Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, a top ally of Khan who was produced in court on Friday.
Elahi was rearrested in another corruption case shortly after being released on the orders of an anti-corruption court in Lahore.
As the establishment focused on the power hub of Punjab, another former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar of the PTI also parted company with the ex-PM.
Addressing a press conference, Buzdar said: “First of all, I condemn the May 9 incidents. The military installations which were targeted were properties of the state of Pakistan and I believe we should avoid such incidents.”
Buzdar was referring to the shocking May 9 attacks on key military icons including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the residence of the Lahore corps commander as well as the martyrs’ memorial.
There were desertions as well from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ex-PM’s base. Former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak on Thursday surrendered the party’s provisional presidential position.
Over 80 PTI members have already deserted Khan’s sinking ship. These include former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, ex-information minister Fawad Chaudhry among a large number of lesser luminaries. On Friday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that PTI Vice-Chairman and former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is now jailed following the May 9 attacks, will part company with Imran Khan as soon as he finds an alternative.
“Shah Mahmood had told me he wanted to join the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) when he left the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party),” the defence minister was quoted as saying.
He also claimed that Qureshi had met PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in this regard.
As nodes of Khan’s influence are rooted out step-by-step, three problems remain. These include tackling the judiciary, especially Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who has backed the ex-PM so far. Second, Khan’s support base in the diaspora has also to be weakened. Finally, decks have to cleared for the return from London of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been convicted for corruption following the Panama Papers leak, before general elections can be staged in October.
As reported by India Narrative earlier, considerable thought is being given to designating the PTI as a terror outfit, following the May 9 attacks.
The terror designation of PTI will have three key implications. First, it will eliminate intervention by the courts to save Khan from the wrath of the establishment. Pakistani analysts are of the view that once the party is designated as terrorist, any related development will be out of the courts’ jurisdiction. In that eventuality, the decks will be cleared to try Khan in military courts, over which the civilian courts would be unable to exercise any jurisdiction.
Second, declaration of the PTI as terror organisation can also weaken Khan’s supporters abroad. Once the party is declared terrorist, the Pakistani establishment has the right to seek extradition of the party kingpins abroad, provided there is an extradition treaty with the host country.
Third, some Pakistani commentators say that the fear of PTI being branded as a terrorist organisation is adding urgency to the desertions from the Party.
Regarding Nawaz Sharif’s return from exile in London, the PML (N) will file a review plea in the Supreme Court to revisit the decision of disqualifying the former PM of holding public office and post of party president, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Geo News.
Pakistan Supreme Court had imposed the ban for hiding unpaid salary from his son in the Panama case.
Sharif has demanded resignation of the Bandial, who has been accused of favouring Khan.
It has been reported the CJP Bandial’s cousin, a supporter of PTI is the wife of former Lahore Corps Commandeer Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Salman Fayyaz Ghani. Ghani is facing court martial for his alleged role in allowing May 9 rioters to enter the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore.
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The leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif stated that talks are held only with politicians….reports Asian Lite News
The ruling parties in Pakistan have rejected troublesome former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer for talks, stating that talks are held with politicians, not terrorists and that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief is now himself seeking a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
The development came as the PTI chief Imran Khan constituted a seven-member negotiating team to hold talks with the government to develop a consensus on a date for general elections amid a massive crackdown. This crackdown, which has thrown the PTI into a deep existential crisis with dozens of key party leaders jumping ship every day, was launched after the party leaders and workers allegedly vandalized and set fire to state and army properties in the wake of Imran’s arrest on May 9.
Responding to the offer, the supreme leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif took to Twitter to state that talks are held only with politicians.
“There will be no talks with a group of terrorists and saboteurs who burn memorials of martyrs and set the country on fire,” he said in a tweet.
In a statement, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “Those who attack the state are punished; they are not negotiated with.”
She claimed that Imran’s appeal for talks is actually an appeal for an NRO.
When in power, Imran Khan often said former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf ended criminal cases against the leaders of various parties including the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) through the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) but that he would not give “looters” any NRO.
Marriyum said holding talks with those who desecrated the memorials of martyrs is a desecration of martyrs. She said Imran wants talks after burning ambulances, hospitals, and schools and poisoning youths’ minds, adding there will be no talks with him.
“Imran has called for talks when his party leaders have abandoned him in flocks.”
She reminded Imran that he had not talked with the opposition on the economy, Kashmir, national security issues, Covid-19 and the FATF issue but he is now urging for talks.
Declaring him a “foreign agent” and “Toshakhana thief”, the information minister said negotiations are not held with the ones who allegedly looted PKR 60 billion as such a person is brought to the court of law and not to the negotiations table.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri, who belongs to the PPP, said Imran was responsible for the situation arising after May 9. She said talking about talks now was nothing but eyewash.
The minister said mobs attacked Jinnah House in Lahore and the GHQ in Rawalpindi on the order of Imran.
“He keeps his children in the safety of London but incites the children of the nation to commit anti-state acts,” she said.
Marriyum recalled that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who currently serves as the country’s foreign minister, tried to bring political parties to the negotiating table and constituted a team consisting of senior leaders for negotiations with political parties.
“Imran, however, sabotaged Bilawal’s efforts.”
She said Imran’s arrogance led to his downfall, regretting that the PTI chief did not allow the PTI to become a political party.
“Talking about negotiations after everything has been done is pretentious,” she said.
Jamiat Uleme-e-Islam (JUI-F) spokesperson Hafiz Hamdullah also called Imran the mastermind behind May 9 attacks. He said targeting military installations was tantamount to war against the state. A rebel, he said, is not negotiated with but deserves severe punishment.
Hamdullah while predicting that jail would be Imran’s destination said it was time for the PTI chief to answer for his actions.
“Imran’s appeal for talks is nothing but a joke,” he added. (ANI)
The latest to leave former premier’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is Ali Zaidi, the President of party’s Sindh chapter, reports Asian Lite News
Joining the list of other leaders, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Ali Zaidi announced on Saturday that he is leaving politics and resigning from party positions, reported Geo News.
Zaidi announced of his resignation from all PTI posts and said in a video message that he had joined politics for Pakistan and had already condemned the May 9 incidents. After much deliberation, the former federal minister made the “difficult decision” to leave politics.
“I’m quitting politics. I’m resigning from my positions of Tehreek-e-Insaf Sindh president, core committee member and MNA,” said Zaidi, according to Geo News.
However, Zaidi stated that he will continue to “work for Pakistan and bring investments from abroad” as he did before entering politics.
Following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9, Zaidi, other top-tier party leaders, and thousands of workers were apprehended. General Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), branded it “Black Day” and threatened to bring all those responsible for the attacks on military sites to trial, reported Geo News.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Ali Zaidi
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday this week announced his resignation from the party saying he has decided “to take a break from politics.”
“In my earlier statement where I unequivocally condemned the 9th May incidents, I have decided to take a break from politics, therefore, I have resigned from the party position and parting ways with Imran Khan,” tweeted Fawad Chaudhry.
Moreover, Asad Umar, the secretary general of PTI, also announced his resignation from all party positions after getting released from Jail, reported Geo News.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari also announced her decision to quit PTI and politics recently.
Mazari’s announcement came after incidents in Pakistan on May 9 and 10 which she strongly condemned. She announced, “From today onwards, I am no longer a part of PTI or any political party.”
Shireen Mazari expressed her commitment to her children and her mother and stressed that they are her top priority at this time, ARY News reported.
Shireen Mazari has been arrested multiple times since the May 9 incidents. After the court ordered her release, She was taken away in a Vigo without a number plate, Dawn reported. Mazari was presented by the police in court in a case related to inciting party supporters in Kharian on May 9. (ANI)
The former prime minister said it is up to Supreme Court to take a stand for country’s democracy because Pakistan is becoming a “banana republic.”…reports Asian Lite News
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called Supreme Court Pakistan’s last hope and called on the apex court judges to save the country’s democracy.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said that Pakistan is being dismantled. In an address to the nation broadcast on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) YouTube channel, Imran Khan said, “I want to tell Supreme Court judges, you are our last hope. There is no rule of law in Pakistan.” “The nation is looking at you and your unity is very important for the public. It is up to you now to save this country and take a stand for the country’s democracy because Pakistan is becoming a banana republic,” he added.
Imran Khan said that he is willing to form a committee for talks with “anyone who is in power today.” He said that people in power believe that they will be able to crush PTI by October.
In his address, Imran Khan said, “I am making this committee and I say two things: If they tell the committee that they have a solution and the country can function better without me. If they convince the committee that the country can function better without me, I am willing to step back for the benefit of the people or they tell the committee what benefit will Pakistan gain from holding elections in October.”
“I am forming a committee and I will announce this tomorrow,” he added.
In his address, Imran Khan questioned human rights organisations for not raising their voices for democracy. He said, “Where are our human rights? Where are the people who raised their voices for the human right and democracy?” He said that more than 10000 PTI workers are currently in prison.
Imran Khan spoke about the crackdown on PTI workers and supporters. He also talked about the problems faced by Shireen Mazari.
The cricketer-turned-politician said that he is relieved that Shireen Mazari left Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to protect herself as she is a blood pressure patient and was taken from one prison to another. His statement comes after Shireen Mazari on Tuesday announced her decision to quit PTI.
“She (Shireen Mazari) is a patient of blood pressure, a widow whose mother is also a widow. Mazari has a daughter who is taking care of her. She was taken from one jail to the other in this heat. I am relieved that she resigned from the party to protect herself,” Imran Khan said.
“But who is suffering in all this? Pakistan’s politics. Shireen was our top parliamentarian and cabinet minister who came well-read on everything during the cabinet meeting. Even all her enemies know she is a patriot,” he added. (ANI)
Why army chief Asim Munir may triumph over Imran Khan in Pakistan's monumental power struggle.
Two generals had informed General Asim Munir beforehand if the demonstrators carry an attack, they would not open fire on them….reports Asian Lite News
For the first time in the Pakistan Army’s recorded history, two top generals essentially let rioters inside their homes and offices, enabling them to ransack and set fire to the buildings, reported The Pakistan Daily Monitor.
It does not matter whether the attacks were premeditated or unplanned. Additionally, the generals who have made mistakes are being removed from their positions with possible penalties. The several incidents that occurred at the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the houses of the Corps Commanders in Lahore and Rawalpindi have damaged the Pakistan Army’s prestige at home and reputation among overseas security organisations.
The evidence suggests that two generals had informed General Asim Munir beforehand if the demonstrators carry an attack, they would not open fire on them, according to audio leaks purportedly collected by intelligence services that follow final instructions from the military, as per a report published in The Pakistan Daily Monitor.
Divided at the top, the army has suffered a historic defeat, largely–but crucially–because the judiciary has blocked its attempts to rein in Imran Khan, a proxy-gone-rogue.
The institutions, especially the military-civil “establishment,” underestimated Khan’s capacity to divide them. They are having difficulty controlling the general turmoil.
The situation has been made worse by the incompetence of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s civilian administration, according to The Pakistan Daily Monitor.
When the current Chief Justice leaves office on September 16, 2023, the turf battle inside the judiciary may or may not come to an end. And nobody anticipates that elections, the main point of disagreement, would remedy or even lessen Pakistan’s numerous issues, if and when they are held.
Attacking army facilities, or rather allowing them to be assaulted, is uncommon in a nation where serving military personnel cannot even be the subject of a police investigation.
All institutions in Pakistan, especially the army and even more so, General Munir must worry over the persistent tweets from American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, who was born in Afghanistan but holds no official position in the Biden administration but is still influential in the American power structure when it comes to “Af-Pak,” the region he dealt with under the George W Bush Jr and Donald Trump regimes.
In recent tweets (May 13, 2023) Khalilzad claimed that two generals were at odds with their chief and requested the resignation of General Munir. Despite opposition from an enraged foreign office in Islamabad that said in March that Pakistan did not need “lectures” from “outsiders,” he has continued to tweet throughout the situation, as per The Pakistan Daily Monitor.
Khan has received open backing from Khalilzad, who has also requested discussions and expressed displeasure over his incarceration. Despite the Biden administration’s declaration that it was backing “Pakistan and its institutions, not any individual,” there remains a nagging concern that the US may be using Khalilzad to convey its views.
The US and other nations keeping tabs on Pakistan’s crises are hopeful that the army, which is still the nation’s best-organized institution, can weather the crisis with assistance from the Sharif Government.
If the situation worsens, though, some Pakistani media outlets have predicted a “national emergency” that wouldn’t include martial law, a caretaker administration in place of Sharif’s, and a two-year period without elections as Pakistan works through the current “economic emergency,” The Pakistan Daily Monitor reported. (ANI)
Khan opted to a smart dual approach for the newly appointed military chief General Asim Munir, by using a different narrative spread on the local and the foreign media outlets…Hamza Ameeer
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s most popular leader who is seen by many as the only hope for the country’s better and prosperous future. But is this the only side of the picture one wants to see and believe while screening his personality and political credentials?
In view of the recent history when in 2018 Khan took over Pakistan’s political stage and became the Prime Minister, till today; his personality, his political positioning and his definition of a democratic rule, has seen many twists and turns, showcasing various shades of grey in his personality, his capability, political compatibility and flexibility.
“Imran Khan has two main attributes; he is either anti-establishment or he is pro-establishment. And both are to the extreme inclination in every possible way,” said Amir Rana, an analyst.
“When he was pro-establishment, illegal recordings of Prime Minister’s House conversations, ministers and political leaders, ridiculing the parliament’s opposition parties, having open and illegal interventions of intelligence agencies in political affairs, openly stating that the ISI should be engaged to find out corruption of politicians and punishing them accordingly and using the military establishment to force political leaders to give consent to political decisions in Parliament, are some of the illegal and un-democratic ways Khan practiced openly and blatantly during his time in power since 2018,” said Mona Alan, a political analyst.
“And when he was ousted last April through the vote of no confidence in Parliament, which in itself is a democratic and constitutional process as per law; we saw and other side of Imran Khan, starting from being in an extreme love affairs with the military establishment to going absolutely against them,” she added.
Khan, after his ouster, lashed out at the military establishment, blasting them for becoming party to what he initially claimed as a US-led regime change conspiracy.
He slammed the opposition alliance and the military establishment for teaming up against him on orders of the Biden administration, accusing them as traitors of the state.
Khan’s public rallying campaign was able to spread his regime change narrative among the masses, as he even used the word “animals” for the then military establishment under then sitting army chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa.
With his demands of early elections started to fade away and his decision to create political pressure on the coalition government of Shehbaz Sharif, along with the military establishment, lost the steam, Khan ended up dissolving his own provincial assemblies in Punjab and the Khuber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Islamabad, May 09 (ANI): Former Pakistan PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan being arrested by Pakistani rangers from outside the Islamabad High Court in Pakistan on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)
Khan opted to a smart dual approach for the newly appointed military chief General Asim Munir, by using a different narrative spread on the local and the foreign media outlets.
“For the consumption of local media outlets, Imran Khan was seen stating that he is pro-military establishment. Khan has maintained that he has nothing against the military establishment and insists that he has no idea of the reason why the military establishment got annoyed with him and decided to dismantle him and his political party,” said Javed Siddique, a senior political analyst.
“But if you see his statements on various foreign media publications and media outlets, he is clearly seen pinpointing the military establishment, and specifically the Army Chief for being the prime reason for all the troubles in the country. Khan has even said that the military establishment is scared and petrified of his popularity because they know that he will win the next elections.”
It is a startling contrast on how Khan’s political narrative changes for the local media and his Pakistani support through pro-military establishment statements, and how it takes a 180-degree turn when he is speaking to the foreign, specifically western media, where he not only slams the army chief and the institution but also goes to the extent of accusing them and their serving intelligence officers of assassination attempts on his life.
However, one thing that remains constant on both shades of grey for Khan is the fact that he happens to be a political leader, who wants to be the face of a smooth democratic leadership and process of formation of a stable democratic and constitutional ruling governance in the country. Yet, he demands the very same military establishment to use its military might an intervene in political matters to ensure that he not only is brought back to power, but is also supported through all means, which may be unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic.
And if that doesn’t happen, he foresees the country in a state of either a civil unrest or a martial law, which for him, surprisingly, is also a viable option if it can result in him coming back into power.
“Such undemocratic demands of military intervention in political affairs to form a democratic setup that runs without any political resistance, can never pave the way to a strong democracy in Pakistan. And it can never have a government setup in its true democratic spirit,” said Javed Siddique.
If Imran once again becomes an instrument of the generals, Pakistanis are unlikely to follow him, which is what makes any softening of Imran’s stand unlikely, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
If ever any additional proof was needed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serves at the pleasure not of the people of Pakistan but of the star officers of GHQ Rawalpindi, it was provided in his nervous press appearance on 12 May. In a somewhat tremulous voice, the younger of the Sharif brothers appealed to the public to turn away from Imran because his supporters had “attacked the military”.
There had been attacks and even torching (Sri Lanka style) of the private homes of the Sharifs brothers, but these were minor acts of violence in comparison with what had apparently horrified the Prime Minister of Pakistan the most, which was that high-ranking officers of the Pakistan Army were attacked, including the official homes of some Corps Commanders.
Will Pak military stay united after Imran Khan’s dramatic arrest?(IN)
The Corps Commanders were the electoral college that deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 and installed the dismissed Chief of Army Staff ex-General Pervez Musharraf as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. The senior Sharif was serially appointed and deposed (and lastly exiled) by the Pakistan military, and this has engendered in the mind of Shehbaz Sharif a fear of the military, the emotion that made the Corps Commanders in GHQ Rawalpindi catapult him to his present job.
Equally, it had been the Army generals who had chosen Imran Khan as the next Prime Minister and got him installed in August 2018, only to turf him out in April 2022.
The generals had by then made the Pakistan Army an auxiliary of the PLA, but were anxious to protect their assets and relatives located in Europe and in the US. They had calculated that Imran Khan, who had a long list of admirers in those parts of the world (not to mention in India), would be able to camouflage the sellout of the military to the CCP and once again prise open the cornucopia of benefits that western countries, the US in particular, had once showered on GHQ Rawalpindi.
Unfortunately, perhaps because of age or because wiser counsel had begun to prevail in Washington and Berlin, the flow of assistance from both sides of the Atlantic to Pakistan’s uniformed services failed to approach past levels of abundance. A decision was taken by the generals (the admirals and air marshals being of less consequence in military headquarters) to toss out Imran and bring in the younger Sharif, who was a full-blooded Punjabi and more importantly, had in the course of amassing his fortune, acquired as a by-product a host of legal vulnerabilities that made him the acquiescent Prime Minister that the generals sought.
Unlike the Zardaris and the Sharifs, Imran Khan Niazi does not come from a family whose members have become billionaires as a consequence of growing their businesses under the patronage of those that count in Pakistan, the uniformed services and the religious zealots. The deposed Prime Minister did not vanish into the shadows and shortly thereafter appeared at the doors of the generals begging to be given a second chance in the manner that some of his predecessors had done Rather than wasting time on puppets, he went after the masters themselves, directing his ire at the military.
Earlier, both Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif while in power had challenged the military hierarchy by seeking to install puppets of their own at the apex of the Pakistan Army. The first was executed with help from a compliant judiciary, while the other was sent into exile. Imran Khan has challenged the military not while he was in high office but after having been removed from it. He has stripped away the camouflage netting of the country’s civilian interface and exposed the involvement of the generals in his overthrow and subsequent harassment through multiple cases filed against him.
And rather than lose public support as a consequence, Imran has picked up much more backing from the people of Pakistan than he had ever enjoyed earlier. Finally, it would appear, even in the Punjab province the people of Pakistan understand that they have been taken for a ride by the generals. That they have been victims of a confidence trick designed to keep them in poverty, religious fanaticism and illiteracy by an army leadership that had long made a career out of serving as a mercenary force, initially for the US and later on, to China.
Throughout the 21st century, Chinese Communist Party functionaries have visited Pakistan in much the way that US servicemen used to visit the Philippines in the years prior to World War II, as overlords. They have provided generous assistance to GHQ Rawalpindi in the latter’s efforts to inflict a thousand cuts on India. At the same time, the men in khaki have covered up the reality of their parasitical existence by pointing to an imaginary threat from India as the reason why the military should be allowed to reign supreme over Pakistan while itself functioning under its Liege Lord, the CCP.
If the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan were serious about accountability for the many charges that have been flung in the direction of Imran Khan Niazi, they would have arrested most of the higher ranks of the Pakistan Army as well as civilian officials, not to mention politicians. When those who have swindled hundreds of billions of dollars accuse Imran of illegally benefitting from much smaller sums, such accusations carry little credibility in the public mind.
GHQ Rawalpindi is as frightened of holding fresh elections as are the Sharif brothers or the Zardaris. They can of course be sure that the men in khaki can assure them a comfortable victory when the ballot boxes are emptied, but are aware that this time around, the public reaction will be what it was when Bilawal Zardari’s grandfather Z.A.
Bhutto rigged the 1977 polls and ignited a furious public reaction that gave cover to General Zia to depose and later on hang him. This time around, the cry of the public is that the generals themselves be punished for what they have done to the future of Pakistan.
If Imran reverses his stance and once again becomes an instrument of the generals, the people of Pakistan are unlikely to follow him in such a betrayal, which is what makes any softening of Imran’s stand unlikely. Will he go the way of Benazir Bhutto and die in an explosion or through a bullet? Will he be locked up and the key thrown away in the hope that he loses his spine? None of the available options are without grave risks for the generals. As for the Chinese, the reality is that Imran Khan Niazi would not have been thrown out of power unless Beijing had given the nod to GHQ Rawalpindi. This is a truth that the most popular, the most endangered, the most dangerous, politician in Pakistan must be mulling over.
