Imran Khan Pakistan

Pakistan Politics: Time Running Out For Imran Khan

Imran Khan’s anti-army narrative has become his albatross. And his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party is disintegrating with the establishment, a euphemism for the powerful Army leadership, in overdrive to destroy the former prime minister’s support base ahead of polls.

The resignations–forced or otherwise– of his hawkish confidantes like Shireen Mazari and Fawad Chaudhry have kindled the debate on the Minus Imran formula, Delhi-based senior journalist and commentator, Malladi Rama Rao writes.

The Shehbaz Sharif government and the Army have mounted an orchestrated campaign to tarnish the image of Imran Khan.

The result of this came out in the form of a flood of allegations of serious financial improprieties by him and also morally unacceptable habits in the Islamic nation. The Federal Health Minister has gone to the town accusing Imran Khan of consuming alcohol and drugs and said as a result of this habit he seems to have lost his ‘mental balance’.

The targeted tirade has clearly shaken the erstwhile playboy. He, however, continues to put on a brave face. He has slapped a defamation case against the Health Minister. And intensified his battle against the Army and the Nawaz- Zardari clique. But luck appears to be deserting him, Rao writes.

In a way, Imran Khan has to blame himself for the turn of events. The Army had propelled him to political eminence but he tried to become their nemesis. He has alleged that some top Generals want him assassinated, but has tweaked his strategy of squarely blaming the Army for his ouster through a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022. His ‘illegal’ arrest was set aside by the higher judiciary but that does not preclude another chance of sending him to prison–this time for a period long enough to exclude his participation in the election process whenever it begins.

As the sedate Karachi daily, Dawn, observed editorially, Imran finds himself ‘losing a ruthless, one-sided war of attrition’. This is a familiar story for politicians of all hues in Pakistan ever since the country was carved out of British India in 1947 as a home for the Muslims. No political party or leader can afford to cross the red line and take on the country’s all-powerful establishment.

Ironically, Imran Khan is desperate to receive US support in his struggle against the powers that be at home. For weeks he went around accusing the US of hatching a conspiracy to throw him out of power because of his ‘independent’ policies and clubbed the US with India as countries wanting destruction of the Islamic nation.

According to Malladi Rama Rao, the U-turn makes him look weak and vulnerable too. He has hired an expensive lobbyist in the US to get a ‘good word’ from influential American lawmakers.

The Biden administration is in a fix. It can openly support Imran only if it wants a sudden setback to its efforts to renew ties with Islamabad- Rawalpindi. But Washington cannot come to the rescue of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government either as it handles the maelstrom created by Imran Khan’s populist politics backed by a majority of the population.

The rich ‘brotherly’ friends in the Muslim world also face a dilemma. They cannot put all their eggs in one basket. Because all the combatants in Pakistan–the government, the Army, the judiciary– are fellow Muslims.

‘All-weather friend’ China is also in a fix. It stands the risk of alienating a large section of Pakistanis if it sides with the ruling coalition, which has become quite unpopular.

As it is, Pakistan has already created some problems by failing to curb anger towards China in the restive Balochistan province where many feel that the projects being executed under the multi-billion CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) are not going to help them.

On his part, Imran Khan is aware that he may be unable to participate in the elections. Mass desertions and incarceration of PTI leaders and workers will continue along with the trial of his party workers in military courts. Yet, he believes that his anti-American rhetoric coupled with a not-so-oblique praise of Islamic extremism will bail him out in any election. His calculations may be misplaced.

First of all, the possibility of national polls taking place in October does not look certain, given the utterly chaotic conditions in a deeply divided and nearly bankrupt Pakistan.

A lot can change if the polls are delayed as is likely.

To believe that Pakistan has institutions that can override the ‘establishment’, and combinations of the civilian rulers and the Army, to order elections when they are due, is no more than wishful thinking.

Even if polls are held before the end of the year there is no guarantee that Imran Khan will win a massive mandate that he hopes for.

The ‘third umpire’, supposedly ‘neutral’, is clearly poised to thwart Khan’s dreams of returning to power.

Because, the Army has suffered major blows to its popularity and even its credibility because of Khan’s anti-army narratives, according to Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, Journalist Rao opines.

A wounded tiger is determined to settle scores with Imran.

Realpolitik has already made Imran Khan climb down from his earlier position of no talks with the government to urgent calls for starting a dialogue. He received a snub from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

His tenure as prime minister exposed him as a poor administrator who pushed the country towards financial bankruptcy. He was selective in weeding out corruption as well. He could barely hide his contempt for democratic practices as he gunned for his political opponents with as much zeal as the present ruling dispensation shows towards him. The message is clear, writes Rao.

Despite his popularity among the masses, Imran Khan is running out of friends, who can help him save his PTI from disintegration, and also win his battle against the Army.

The writer, Malladi Rama Rao is a Delhi-based senior journalist and commentator. (ANI)

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Imran Sharif

Imran Blames Sharif, Home Minister, Top ISI Gen For Bid On Life

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders on Thursday said that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan believes that the attack on him in which bullets were fired was carried out at the behest of three people including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the country’s Interior Minister and a top ISI General and his remarks were based on information he had received.

“A short while ago, Imran Khan told us to issue this statement on his behalf. He believes there are three people on whose behest this was done- Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Maj Gen Faisal. He said he was receiving information and is saying this on that basis,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Asad Umar and Mian Aslam Iqbal said.

Rana Sanaullah is Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Major General Faisal Naseer is Director General (C) ISI.

The PTI leaders also said that Imran Khan’s condition is stable and he is out of danger.

Asad Umar, who is general secretary PTI said in a video posted by the party, that “the three people should be removed from their posts”.

“I talked to Imran Khan as there were reports we were receiving that Imran Khan is in danger. However, he said we should leave this to Allah. Imran Khan demanded that these three people should be removed from their posts. We are waiting for Imran Khan’s nod. If these people are not removed there will be countrywide protests,” he said.

“Imran Khan was shot in the leg. His CT scan has been done. If anyone had the slightest doubt it should have been cleared today as Imran Khan was saying again and again that he, for the freedom of this nation, is ready to sacrifice his life,” he added.

The suspect caught by police in Pakistan for opening fire during the PTI’s long march has said he wanted to kill former Prime Minister Imran Khan because “he was misleading the public,” media reports said. (ANI)

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Pakistan, The Hand of The Establishment

Imran Khan’s misadventures in office and his attempts to cling to power have come against the reality of numbers as he tried to use every method in the book to outwit the establishment. Although he hasn’t given up, the levers of power have moved on from his grasp. The Supreme Court and High Court had to intervene to bring a rolling rail back 

Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, came to power in 2018 promising delightful dreams of prosperity, fair deal, national prestige, honour of Pakistani passport in the world, houses for poor, jobs for youth, lawmaking, best governance, no corruption, accountability of the corrupt politicians and officers, no protocol, quality education, no loan from IMF, return of all loans, respect of the state institutions etc. However during his tenure he proved an utter failure to metalize all these promises and hopes.

March 2022 proved catastrophic to Prime Minister Imran Khan when he was ousted from power through no-confidence move presented by the opposition parties including PPP, Muslim League (N), ANP, PTM and other members in the national assembly. This was the time when Imran Khan decided to go for political shenanigans in and outside the assemblies.

Imran Khan, quoting an ambassador’s cable from the US, declared the no-confidence move as an American conspiracy because Imran Khan had refused the USA to give airbases likely to be utilized for surveillance of Afghanistan.

On this stand, he organized his ministers, Speakers and social media to blame and embarrass the military establishment of Pakistan with the aim to cripple the confidence of the establishment, election commission and courts.

He warned the ‘establishment’ that he would be more dangerous (Khatare nak) if ousted. His own assembly members had deserted therefore he tried to threaten these members, the Courts, Election Commission and anyone else with Constitutional prerogatives as he interpreted it. Imran Khan is not a Constitutional legal luminary. Therefore, things went problematic and a constitutional crisis emerged.

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At his alleged insistence, the Speaker did not allow the no-confidence move within due days as ordered in the Constitution of Pakistan. This was a violation. Being custodian of the constitution the Supreme Court of Pakistan handled the disorderly situation and ordered to act upon its orders. The Speaker once again used tactics to delay the assembly proceedings. However at midnight, the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court opened and a prison van started moving along the Constitution Avenue.

This was entirely unexpected by the Prime Minster who had already requested the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to interfere as he was ready to resign if the opposition consented to hold fresh elections. This option was declined by the opposition allies, the PDM. The Prime Minster had to leave the PM house with dejected heart and he moved to his home silently.

The Assembly passed no-confidence move against Imran Khan but the PTI (Imran Khan’s party) decided to create hurdles in the way of the new government. The political misadventure continued and as the Speaker resigned, the Deputy Speaker tried to sabotage further processes. He finally accepted the resignations of the PTI members and then resigned himself.

The legal process to confirm the resignations was not adopted so it is still pending and proved another political misadventure. Mian Shahbaz Sharif was elected new Prime Minster. However President Arif Alvi considered the new government imported, traitors and funded by USA and decided to refuse to administer the oath. Consequently the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan took oath of the Prime Minister and his cabinet members. The new government was in place.

The Punjab Assembly was the next locus of the political games and intrigues. Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, the Speaker, first promised to side with the opposition but on the insistence of his son Moonas Elahi he chose to be the PTI candidate of Chief Minster against Mian Hamza Shahbaz. However the Speaker embarrassed the Deputy Speaker by issuing different statements and even issues orders though being CM candidate his powers were frozen.

Again, the Lahore High Court had to interfere. Yet again PTI and Muslim League (Q) tried to obstruct the process. They physically attacked the Deputy Speaker, Dost Mazari, to sabotage the voting process. After the skirmishes, the Police and the Assembly officials ensured voting for the CM office while PTI and Muslim League (Q) sensing clear defeat walked out of the assembly.

Mian Hamza Shahbaz won the CM office. Repeating the national farce again, the PTI Governor Umar Chattha refused to take oath from the newly elected CM and started correspondence with different offices including of the President.

The Muslim League(N) again had to knock at the High Court and Justice Ameer Ali Bhatti asked Dr. Arif Alvi to depute anyone else to ensure oath of the CM Punjab. This oath taking issue is still pending and the politicians are more concerned with their party line than the constitution and the state.

The current political situation of Pakistan has exposed the inability and incapability of the politicians to permit smooth running of processes. They are unable to cope with this sort of political crisis. Woefully, this ensures that Pakistan will have to suffer more in the coming years because of the leadership crisis. This further confirms that the political parties only can only function in office if the establishment supports them in the day-to-day affairs.

Unfortunately, Pakistan’s political parties generally condemn the establishment’s role when they are in opposition but expect full support and behind the scene maneuverings when they are in the government. Imran khan was very happy when he was enjoying this support but as the establishment withdrew its political role, the government collapsed and Imran Khan started staging mass protest.

Imran Khan believes that use of religion and cursing the military Chief, USA, Courts and election commission would force them to rethink and give him support again. The foreign funding case, Tosha Khana scandal and his signatures on some other documents relating to medicine, flour, sugar subsidy etc. however could be very dangerous for his political career. Therefore, he has adopted the going-public policy to seek the establishment’s favour in the current and coming political happenings but it is likely to be another political misadventure bearing no positive results.

On the other hand, it is expected that the PTI will get something from the institutions because past history reveals that nuisance value does work and the leaders kicked out of the corridors of power are granted relief through deals reached with the levers of real power in Pakistan. Therefore, we can conclude that Imran Khan will survive in the political arena but he has damaged his party and relations with most countries due to his ill thought out statements, speeches and actions. As the song goes, ‘another one bites the dust’. In Pakistan as in most countries, the sunrise and sunset of a politician depends on those who hold real power behind the office.