Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s political continue to seesaw, with the Shehbaz Sharif government is mulling ban on his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced this today, a day after Khan was granted bail in multiple cases by an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad.
“It is under consideration to ban PTI,” Asif told reporters. “The PTI has attacked very basis of the State, that never happened before. It can’t be tolerated.”
Asif was referring to the nationwide violence in the wake of Khan’s arrest on May 9 on corruption charges. Though he was released on bail on an order by the Supreme Court (which is seen as close to Khan), his supporters began an orgy of arson and vandalism. They even attacked military installations, including the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander.
Unsurprisingly, the Army is furious; it wants Khan and his supporters to be tried in military courts. He moved the Supreme Court against such a move. His party pleaded in the apex court that terming trial in military courts is a “clear violation” of the constitutional guarantees of due process and fair trial.
In a country where three A’s—Allah, Army, and America—are said to be all-powerful, Khan had the temerity to taken on the last two. This makes the political crisis in Pakistan unprecedented, for no other politician before him did that before. Sometimes, it looks like he is mellowing down. For instance, a couple of days ago, he told an international news channel that he had “no problem” with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir: “I have no problem with him, but he seems to have a problem with me.”
In general, however, he is not standing down. Having taken on the two A’s, he seems to be relying more on the third one—Allah. And on his own popularity.
It is indubitable that Khan is the most popular leader in the country. But as Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States and currently a scholar at the Hudson Institute in Washington, told
Reuters, “The military’s power comes from its ability to deploy force, not popularity—Pakistan’s generals like being liked but they like being in control even more.”
Pakistan’s generals should take control, directly or indirectly, for Imran’s agenda is purely Islamist—Riasat-e-Medina. As it is, Pakistan is the engine of jihad; his success would turbo-charge that engine. This will be calamitous for Pakistan. It will also spell trouble in this part of the world