Whereas his populist politics may have initially ridden the wave of the massive ‘information’ campaign by his promoters in the so-called establishment, which tarnished his political opponents as ‘chor-daku’ and presented him as Mr Clean and a saviour, he has expanded his support base substantially it is now embedded in large swathes of the country. It is to Imran Khan’s credit, or discredit - depending on how you see things - that he has polarised and divided not just the people at large, but also families and institutions to such an extent that supporting him is a ‘do or die’ choice.Įditorial: Pakistan, for the first time in recent memory, seems to be flirting dangerously with civil war This obviously pointed to inside information and support. This was evident in the YouTube live videos by retired army captains and majors (based in the UK and Canada) where they were naming names and directing ‘protesters’ to the homes of senior army and intelligence officers, even furnishing street addresses. As the courts were giving him relief in older cases and protecting him in newer ones, the state paralysis was indicative of divisions elsewhere.
They couldn’t co-exist.Īs the weekend approached, it was becoming clear that the PTI leader had sufficient backers not only in terms of street power, but in key institutions too who would fight his corner.
“1977 or 1999?” one friend asked me, elaborating that, in his view, the former situation seemed more likely after Imran Khan’s pointed accusations because it was becoming clear that such a spiral would only leave one of the two men standing at the end of the fight. It was becoming clear that the PTI leader had sufficient backers not only in terms of street power but in key institutions too who would fight his corner. Wednesday’s mayhem saw organised Tiger Force cadres and PTI supporters from among the general public ransacking, setting ablaze key government and military installations - not even sparing the Lahore Corps Commander’s official residence - and it led to the most obvious question. Imran Khan, who is reported to have opposed the appointment of the current army chief with all his might, said the latter feared that on coming to power “I will de-notify him when I have no such plans”, insinuating that the general wanted him out of the game. After getting blanket immunity from the courts, he pointed the finger of blame directly at the army chief.
Mr Khan’s accusation that a serving major-general in the ISI was responsible for the attempt on his life and was still plotting to eliminate him, was seen by analysts as the catalyst for his arrest. WHAT a dramatic few days these have been, even by Pakistani standards - triggered by the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan on Tuesday in Islamabad and his triumphant return to Lahore late Friday, after being freed by the courts and given blanket immunity from arrest.
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