NEW DELHI: Pakistan is apparently headed once again towards a political stalemate as the 11-party opposition alliance held three consecutive rallies in Gujranwala, Karachi and Quetta as part of its national campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.
However, what is different this time about the union of the opposition parties is that they are confronting the mighty Pakistani army, directly and openly. Deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attacked Pakistan’s powerful military commanders, accusing them of meddling in politics and toppling governments, intensifying pressure on the Khan administration. Sharif accused the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and General Faiz Hameed, head of the country’s spy agency, of plotting to overthrow his previous government to help bring Khan to power.
The crisis deepened further last week after the alleged kidnapping of a police chief in Sindh that triggered a massive request for “permission” within the police department.
With so much turmoil in the country, the question arises: will the government of Imran Khan survive?
Alliance of 11 parties and their demands
On September 20, the leaders of the 11 main opposition parties announced the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the launch of a three-phase anti-government movement under an “action plan” that began with public meetings throughout the country, protest rallies and rallies ahead of a “Long Decisive March” to Islamabad in January 2021.
Opposition leaders had announced that they would use all political and democratic options, including motions of no confidence and massive resignations from parliament to seek “the resignation of the selected prime minister and the end of the establishment’s role in politics.”
The opposition held two massive demonstrations, one in Gujranwala and one in Karachi, mounting its attack on the government led by Imran Khan.
The goal of the PDM is simply to have the prime minister removed from office, win an establishment-sanctioned midterm election, and form a petty national government that is ‘free’ from the influence of the military, which seems too much. good to be true. .
However, among a discontented population, the unrest is fermenting a social explosion (anarchic), which might not become a popular revolution.
Attack on the army
In what is considered unprecedented in Pakistan, the opposition’s continued attacks on the military are like never before. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for medical treatment, accused the country’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, of overthrowing his government, putting pressure on the judiciary and installing the current government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. in the 2018 elections.
Sharif spoke via video link from London to a gathering of tens of thousands of people organized by opposition parties to launch a nationwide protest campaign in the eastern city of Gujranwala with the aim of overthrowing the Khan government. .
The former prime minister also accused the head of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence spy agency of being involved in conspiring against his government.
Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is the main opposition party, was fired by the Supreme Court in 2017 on corruption charges and left for London last November for medical treatment.
He blamed the generals and judges for what he said were false charges against him.
Another opposition leader, Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, also warned the Pakistani army, asking it to stop interfering in civil affairs of the government and police or there will be no unity in the country.
Sindh Police Rebellion
Several policemen on Tuesday requested a license to “leave the […] shock “caused by the” kidnapping “of Sindh IGP and the subsequent arrest of the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mohammad Safdar.
A major crisis broke out in the country, with the Sindh province police in a determined fight against the all-powerful army for “kidnapping” Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mehr, during Awan’s arrest saga.
Those who submitted license applications were AIG Imran Yaqoob Special Branch, AIG Forensic Sciences Division Dr. Samiulah Soomro Counter-Terrorism Department DIG Omer Shahid Hamid, DIG Headquarters Saqib Ismail Memon, Hyderabad DIG Naeem Ahmed Shaikh, East Zone (Karachi ) DIG Capt (r) Asim Khan, South Zone (Karachi) DIG Javed Akbar Riaz, Larkana DIG Nasir Aftab, Special Division DIG Qamar-uz-Zaman and SSP Intelligence Tauqeer Muhammad Naeem, Sukkur SSP Irfan Ali Samo, Anti-Violent Crime Cell SSP Abdullah Ahmad, Badin SSP Shabir Ahmed Sethar, SSP Korangi Capt (r) Faisal Abdullah Chachar and East Zone (Karachi) SSP Sajid Amir Sudozai.
According to requests made to Sindh’s inspector general Mushtaq Mahar, officials said they had found it difficult to “discharge [their] duties in a professional manner. ”
After much scandal on the political scene with the Sindh government, ruled by the Pakistan People’s Party, distancing itself from the arrest, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered an investigation into the incident. The army chief ordered the Karachi Corps Commander to “immediately investigate the circumstances” to determine the facts and submit a report as soon as possible.
Khan’s nervous response
Imran Khan, who came to power on an anti-bribery platform and denies that the army helped him win, has said that he was not afraid of the opposition campaign, which aimed to blackmail him into dropping corruption cases against his leaders.
However, Pakistan’s government Tehreek-e-Insaf appears to be in a panic as it has been recording a number of cases against PML-N workers since the PDM launched its movement to overthrow the government of Imran Khan.
The PTI government also arrested Captain (retd) Safdar, who was later released, and has put PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif behind bars again.
Imran Khan has said that he is even willing to start talks with his British counterpart Boris Johnson to get the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) deported from London.
To neutralize Sharif’s attack, the government and some self-proclaimed spokesmen of the military establishment among politicians have labeled the main opposition leaders as “traitors”, “anti-state” and “Indian agents”, a weapon proven in the arsenals of the Pakistani governments in general, and their security establishment in particular, which may work for the PTI government given the general sentiment against India.
Now what?
The next general elections in Pakistan are scheduled for 2023, but the opposition is already working hard to topple Imran Khan.
Although the PDM plans to hold more demonstrations in Peshawar on November 22, Multan on November 30 and Lahore on December 13, what remains to be seen is whether the opposition can sustain the movement.
Opposition leaders have announced that they will use all political and democratic options, including motions of no confidence and massive resignations from Parliament to seek the resignation of the “selected” prime minister.
Despite renewed momentum from the opposition against Khan and the Pakistani military, political analysts are largely skeptical that it is enough to bring about change in Islamabad.
Furthermore, at the Karachi rally, Maryam Nawaz’s conciliatory tone towards the military, unlike her father, was another sign that she might also negotiate with the military in the future, if the need arises.
Under Khan, Pakistan has experienced growing media censorship and an offensive against dissent, critics and opposition. But the campaign against him sought to take advantage of discontent over his handling of the economy, which was crumbling even before the global coronavirus pandemic hit.
However, the PTI government has received praise for handling the coronavirus situation in the country without imposing a total lockdown.
While the opposition has created waves with few demonstrations and attacking the army head-on, the question remains whether the PDM has the support of a common man and the much-needed unity among alliance parties. What also remains to be seen is whether challenging the army proves to be an advantage or a failure.
So for now, the opposition’s strategy may not be enough to topple the Imran Khan government, unless the PDM comes up with a strategy that can hit the Imran Khan government further and change the course of history and that of the government. of the PTI in Pakistan. .
(With inputs from agencies)
However, what is different this time about the union of the opposition parties is that they are confronting the mighty Pakistani army, directly and openly. Deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attacked Pakistan’s powerful military commanders, accusing them of meddling in politics and toppling governments, intensifying pressure on the Khan administration. Sharif accused the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and General Faiz Hameed, head of the country’s spy agency, of plotting to overthrow his previous government to help bring Khan to power.
The crisis deepened further last week after the alleged kidnapping of a police chief in Sindh that triggered a massive request for “permission” within the police department.
With so much turmoil in the country, the question arises: will the government of Imran Khan survive?
Alliance of 11 parties and their demands
On September 20, the leaders of the 11 main opposition parties announced the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the launch of a three-phase anti-government movement under an “action plan” that began with public meetings throughout the country, protest rallies and rallies ahead of a “Long Decisive March” to Islamabad in January 2021.
Opposition leaders had announced that they would use all political and democratic options, including motions of no confidence and massive resignations from parliament to seek “the resignation of the selected prime minister and the end of the establishment’s role in politics.”
The opposition held two massive demonstrations, one in Gujranwala and one in Karachi, mounting its attack on the government led by Imran Khan.
The goal of the PDM is simply to have the prime minister removed from office, win an establishment-sanctioned midterm election, and form a petty national government that is ‘free’ from the influence of the military, which seems too much. good to be true. .
However, among a discontented population, the unrest is fermenting a social explosion (anarchic), which might not become a popular revolution.
Attack on the army
In what is considered unprecedented in Pakistan, the opposition’s continued attacks on the military are like never before. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for medical treatment, accused the country’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, of overthrowing his government, putting pressure on the judiciary and installing the current government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. in the 2018 elections.
Sharif spoke via video link from London to a gathering of tens of thousands of people organized by opposition parties to launch a nationwide protest campaign in the eastern city of Gujranwala with the aim of overthrowing the Khan government. .
The former prime minister also accused the head of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence spy agency of being involved in conspiring against his government.
Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is the main opposition party, was fired by the Supreme Court in 2017 on corruption charges and left for London last November for medical treatment.
He blamed the generals and judges for what he said were false charges against him.
Another opposition leader, Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, also warned the Pakistani army, asking it to stop interfering in civil affairs of the government and police or there will be no unity in the country.
Sindh Police Rebellion
Several policemen on Tuesday requested a license to “leave the […] shock “caused by the” kidnapping “of Sindh IGP and the subsequent arrest of the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mohammad Safdar.
A major crisis broke out in the country, with the Sindh province police in a determined fight against the all-powerful army for “kidnapping” Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mehr, during Awan’s arrest saga.
Those who submitted license applications were AIG Imran Yaqoob Special Branch, AIG Forensic Sciences Division Dr. Samiulah Soomro Counter-Terrorism Department DIG Omer Shahid Hamid, DIG Headquarters Saqib Ismail Memon, Hyderabad DIG Naeem Ahmed Shaikh, East Zone (Karachi ) DIG Capt (r) Asim Khan, South Zone (Karachi) DIG Javed Akbar Riaz, Larkana DIG Nasir Aftab, Special Division DIG Qamar-uz-Zaman and SSP Intelligence Tauqeer Muhammad Naeem, Sukkur SSP Irfan Ali Samo, Anti-Violent Crime Cell SSP Abdullah Ahmad, Badin SSP Shabir Ahmed Sethar, SSP Korangi Capt (r) Faisal Abdullah Chachar and East Zone (Karachi) SSP Sajid Amir Sudozai.
According to requests made to Sindh’s inspector general Mushtaq Mahar, officials said they had found it difficult to “discharge [their] duties in a professional manner. ”
After much scandal on the political scene with the Sindh government, ruled by the Pakistan People’s Party, distancing itself from the arrest, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered an investigation into the incident. The army chief ordered the Karachi Corps Commander to “immediately investigate the circumstances” to determine the facts and submit a report as soon as possible.
Khan’s nervous response
Imran Khan, who came to power on an anti-bribery platform and denies that the army helped him win, has said that he was not afraid of the opposition campaign, which aimed to blackmail him into dropping corruption cases against his leaders.
However, Pakistan’s government Tehreek-e-Insaf appears to be in a panic as it has been recording a number of cases against PML-N workers since the PDM launched its movement to overthrow the government of Imran Khan.
The PTI government also arrested Captain (retd) Safdar, who was later released, and has put PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif behind bars again.
Imran Khan has said that he is even willing to start talks with his British counterpart Boris Johnson to get the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) deported from London.
To neutralize Sharif’s attack, the government and some self-proclaimed spokesmen of the military establishment among politicians have labeled the main opposition leaders as “traitors”, “anti-state” and “Indian agents”, a weapon proven in the arsenals of the Pakistani governments in general, and their security establishment in particular, which may work for the PTI government given the general sentiment against India.
Now what?
The next general elections in Pakistan are scheduled for 2023, but the opposition is already working hard to topple Imran Khan.
Although the PDM plans to hold more demonstrations in Peshawar on November 22, Multan on November 30 and Lahore on December 13, what remains to be seen is whether the opposition can sustain the movement.
Opposition leaders have announced that they will use all political and democratic options, including motions of no confidence and massive resignations from Parliament to seek the resignation of the “selected” prime minister.
Despite renewed momentum from the opposition against Khan and the Pakistani military, political analysts are largely skeptical that it is enough to bring about change in Islamabad.
Furthermore, at the Karachi rally, Maryam Nawaz’s conciliatory tone towards the military, unlike her father, was another sign that she might also negotiate with the military in the future, if the need arises.
Under Khan, Pakistan has experienced growing media censorship and an offensive against dissent, critics and opposition. But the campaign against him sought to take advantage of discontent over his handling of the economy, which was crumbling even before the global coronavirus pandemic hit.
However, the PTI government has received praise for handling the coronavirus situation in the country without imposing a total lockdown.
While the opposition has created waves with few demonstrations and attacking the army head-on, the question remains whether the PDM has the support of a common man and the much-needed unity among alliance parties. What also remains to be seen is whether challenging the army proves to be an advantage or a failure.
So for now, the opposition’s strategy may not be enough to topple the Imran Khan government, unless the PDM comes up with a strategy that can hit the Imran Khan government further and change the course of history and that of the government. of the PTI in Pakistan. .
(With inputs from agencies)
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