When the joint opposition movement held its second rally on Sunday, the Pakistani government was quick to respond to speeches made at its first major meeting.
A visibly upset and angry prime minister, Imran Khan, told a conference of his supporters in Islamabad on Saturday that he would get “tougher” on opposition leaders and put them all behind bars.
“Go back and see where I put it,” he said, referring to former exiled prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, to whom he largely directed his ire. “Now I will do my best to bring you back and put you in a common prison, not a VIP.”
Khan told his supporters that the impetus of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was to create a wedge between his government, the judiciary and the military. “I will not allow that to happen,” said Khan, who also mocked PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, whom he called “Naani” (grandmother).
Other ministers attacked PDM leaders over the weekend. Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed, considered close to the army, told a press conference: “Now it’s free for everyone. We will not stop “.
Also attacked were Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who had said in his speech at the Gujranwala rally on Saturday that he was not sure who brought Punjab’s chief minister, Usman Buzdar, to power. “Was it a Jadugarni (witch) or a Khalai Makhluq (being extraterrestrial)?” I ask. He was referring to Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, a political and religious figure known for making decisions in the province, and to the ISI, the powerful intelligence agency.
In response, Minister Fawad Chaudhry said it was strange that the PDM was holding a rally in Karachi on the anniversary of the attack on Benazir Bhutto. “Benazir Bhutto was attacked by the Taliban and today the PDM, which is led by a Taliban sympathizer (Maulana Fazul Rehman), is paying tribute to him.”
As the PDM continues its demonstrations across the country, the political temperature in Pakistan has started to rise. Aside from personal attacks, there has been an increase in questions about the role of the military in the country’s political affairs.
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