By: Sauro Dasgupta
The showdown with Imran Khan has been a terror for the Pakistani establishment.
As Prime Minister, Mr Khan had given an extension to General Bajwa but when the former not only visited Putin at the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, but when he also praised India for its foreign policy of keeping its interests first and not necessarily siding with the West, all his opponents were rattled.
The military has been instrumental in getting maximum Western largesse for Pakistan and the opposition was quite pro-US.
An unholy combination og the opposition, military and judiciary ganged up against him and managed to oust him.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan unilaterally nominates the military chief, seeking to serve the party’s dynastic family interests and the business interests of the military. It works that way, not withstanding any encroachment on the powers of the Prime Minister. Thus Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed General Asim Munir, a hardliner and someone very hostile to Mr Khan as the new Chief of Army Staff. In fact, the day Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed was replaced as the Director General of ISI by Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum, power was slipping out of Mr Khan’s hands.
Mr Khan has been conducting long protests and marches against the establishment and their corruption, misrule and their violence on any dissident they might find. Opponents of the current regime have been assaulted, striped and murdered.
There was an assassination attempt on Mr Khan as well. A journalist who didn’t fall in line with the establishment was killed in Kenya, much like some other Pakistani dissenters killed in Canada, Sweden, etc.
That even the apparently soft-spoken Director General of the ISI and the Director General of the ISPR organized a press conference to ‘refute’ the charges that Imran Khan brought against them explained the degree of fear that they have in their minds about him.
Despite having governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, Mr Khan is unable to get any security. In Sindh, opponents of the regime are facing continuous atrocities with no help from any quarters. In fact, the mafia and the police in the ruling alliance’s states have been reactivated to take on dissenters.
At the Pakistan Azaadi Marches, Mr Khan has been highlighting all the precious work done by him in the past. Indeed, the welfare schemes launched by him are in jeopardy. The prospering economy under him is on the brink of ruination. There is record high inflation and severe unemployment. All of these, along with Mr Khan’s track record of excellence and dedication works in his favour. As the establishment is tottering and a clash seems inevitable, Mr Khan is rising like the Phoenix.
(The author is a PG 2 student, Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University)