11-07-2022, 06:50 PM
PAKISTAN'S CIRCUS MAYBE ENDED WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM 2 OF PAKISTAN'S ALLIES - SAUDI ARABIAN AND CHINESE INTERVENTION ON THE CARDS. THIS IS NOT REALLY SURPRISING AT A TIME OF GEOPOLITICAL TURBULENCE AND SHAKE UP OF ALLIANCES. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PAKISTAN?
IMRAN KHAN IS ONCE AGAIN FACING SAME DIFFICULTY AS BEFORE
SPECIAL COMMANDOS FROM KPK REACHES TO ZAMAN FOR IMRAN KHAN
IMRAN KHAN COMPLETE SPEECH
PTI Long March Plan For Islamabad
MBS IS COMING TO PAKISTAN AS IMRAN KHAN IS READY TO GO TO ISLAMABAD
PAKISTAN SHOULD CHOOSE RIGHT SIDE BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION- CHINA
IMRAN KHAN WROTE A LETTER AGAINST DG ISPR AND DG ISI TO ARIF ALVI
IMRAN KHAN LONG MARCH STARTS FROM THURSDAY
PDM vs PTI
Tajzia with Sami Ibrahim
IMRAN KHAN AND PAKISTAN’s VERY SCARY FUTURE
PAKISTANIS FED UP WITH ARMY PUTTING POLITICIANS IN POWER AND REMOVING THEM
Ex-ISI chief Asad Durrani
ZAID HAMID
https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid
1.This is going to be a rather provocative & candid thread on Pakistani politics today, which have come to a dead end & landed into a rather anarchic deadlock. Bringing political chaos is a global agenda today. Democracies are being killed, replaced by anarchy or dictatorships.
2. Look around. In every country it is same. What savagery they did in liberal western democracies in the name of Covid lockdowns & forced jab mandates put to shame even the worst autocratic dictatorships or even communism. This is all part of agenda 2030, Global Reset!
3. See Brazil today. The elections are leading to political & social chaos & calls for a military intervention. Just like global lockdowns under a common agenda, they plan to bring draconian dictatorships wherever they can. EU, China are ripe examples for this kind of rule.
4. But in most parts of the world, they will bring political anarchy only. Headless states, political chaos, civil unrest, economic collapse, military interventions, civil wars & external invasions, where required. Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine...etc
5. Pakistan falls in the 2nd category of country, where the globalists want total anarchy, destruction, civil war & an Indian invasion. The project started when Imran Khan was brought into power in 2018. He is a WEF agenda coordinator, just like that Trudeau, Boris, Rishi etc.
6. Pakistani nation voted for Imran under a euphoria that is the solution to the chronic cancer of Mafia rule, corruption & dynastic politics in Pakistan for decades. He was fully supported by the Military & the ISI. For the first time in decades, Civil-Military bond was strong.
7. The romance with IK started to shake very early into his government. Today he himself acknowledges that he came unprepared, did not have a team & the entrenched established mafias in civil servants refused to cooperate with him. He kept shuffling his team in panic...
8. It was very clear from the onset that he had lost control. In desperation, he turned towards the ISI & Army for doing even the most basic day to day civil matters of the government. Opposition would not listen to him either so he needed the muscle of ISI/GHQ to survive.
9. It's a simple law of politics. When the politicians or the Govt is weak, incompetent & corrupt, then the Army & Intel agencies will always caste long shadows in the power corridors, especially when the PM himself relies on their power & influence to survive on daily basis.
10. It's not just that IK was weak & had a thin majority in the parliament, he was also incompetent. Did not know a jack of national security, foreign policy & economy. So, he handed over these critical issues to his "imported" special advisors, some outright CIA planted spies.
11. Imran himself did what he knows best & feels comfortable in.... Charity work! He opened shelter homes, medical insurances, universal basic income projects (another WEF agenda) etc. Handling the opposition & all other critical state security matters were subcontracted.
12. At the international level, he was initially treated as a celebrity as well. Trump gave him a White House dinner. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Russia, Malaysia reached out warmly. He famously claimed after returning from US that he feels that he has won another world cup!
13. This is where the problem started. He started to think that he is indispensable for Pakistan. "I am the only option" he once arrogantly said and firmly believed. He started to take even the military establishment head on. He started to enjoy the power, limelight & the glamour.
14. If you are a strong leader in both parliamentary majority & character & also have a strong team & you are also delivering on all fronts, then Military cannot control you or interfere in your political affairs. But this was NOT the case with IK. He failed on all counts above.
15. Imran wanted to promote a particular General as the next Army Chief, so that he can help IK get another term of 5 years. Basically, dragging army into politics & hoping to ride on their shoulders into power for next term too. Dangerous ideas lead to fatal results ....
16. But there was a problem in this risky plan. The General IK wanted was very junior. A Major General. For him to get the required promotions & seniority to qualify as the next Chief of Army meant that the present one should be given a 3 years extension. So, it was done...
17. This artificial hybrid Civil Military Govt dragged on somehow for nearly 4 years but by this time serious fractures & cracks had developed over host of issues & their handlings. Biden had come into power & he considered IK as a Trump's man. Turkey & Malaysia felt betrayed.
18. Some seriously embarrassing diplomatic blunders took place with closest of allies like Saudis, Chinese & even with enemies like India. Kashmir was annexed by India in his tenure. Afghan Taliban took power & US exited from Afghanistan. Chinese were nervous over CPEC...
19. The last straw came when he insisted that a particular General should remain as the head of the ISI while the GHQ wanted to transfer him. Serious bad blood was generated & finally Army decided to pull the plug. Once army support was gone, he was dead meat for the opposition.
20. He has been removed through a vote of no confidence in the parliament. He & his party participated in it and lost. He claims that opposition bought his parliamentarians. That seems true as well. But this is the norm in Pakistani politics always. In his time, he also bought.
21. Army had saved his govt from collapse few times earlier also. He wanted army to support him this time too. But when that did not happen, he went rogue against the army leadership & the ISI. He needed a sellable narrative, so the idea of a US conspiracy was born. Total BS.
22. Yes, Biden wanted him to go but that is NOT the reason why he is out. He is out because he started to interfere too much into the personal space of the Army & ISI to that extent that he started to dictate the postings & promotions of the army officers for his political ends.
23. This is also true that GHQ & ISI have made terrible blunders in handling him. First was when they decided to help him & thought that he can be advised & trained. One officer dealing with him told me that they hope he will be on his feet in 2 years! They really thought that.
24. The next blunder was to replace him with the most notorious crooks, traitors & scumbags in Pakistan's history. That created a bigger crisis & gave a new life to IK. In their defense, GHQ wanted to support democracy & those scums were the only alternate in the parliament.
25. So, this is where we stand today.. Supreme Court & GHQ & the Govt want the parliament to continue their terms & then go for fresh elections. Imran wants immediate dissolution of parliament, a caretaker govt & announcement of fresh dates of elections. Thats the deadlock!
26. IK is raising the temperatures dangerously hoping that it will force the Govt & the GHQ to backdown & succumb to his demands. That has created anarchy. Attempt on his life was a dangerous escalation & could have plunged the country into civil war is he had died.
27. I had asked him to delay his protests till November 27th, the date when the present Army chief is retiring. It is hoped that the new COAS will take measures to bring the political temperatures down. But IK, for some really strange unknown reasons, decided to push ahead.
28. With only 20 days left for change in Command in GHQ, IK has launched a fierce civil disobedience movement in the country. They have blockaded Islamabad & plan to march on the Capital city to force the govt to relinquish. He is taking a huge gamble & risking a civil war!
29. Why is he pushing the country to the brink? Especially when the Indians have recently given unprecedented threats of invading & taking over northern regions of Pak. He has already built a dangerous anti-Army & anti-ISI narrative deeply believed by his fanatic fan base.
30. He has recently built a very dangerous narrative that he is being treated like Sheikh Mujeeb in East Pak in 1971, which led to the dismemberment of the country. This is escalation beyond political norms, unless you want to force a civil war & a military takeover.
31.He also wants to push the present Nawaz Shareef govt out because he does not want them to name the next COAS. It is absolutely ironic that while all pol parties thrive on the narrative that military's political role should be nil, they all drag army into politics to survive.
32. Next 20 days are critical. Civil anarchy & protests. Civil war. Govt collapse. Hard Military intervention. Indian invasion... Appointment of new COAS. Political reconciliation. New caretaker Govt. All options are open. Fasten your belts please. End Thread.
A STATE OF ANARCHY
Zahid Hussain
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719854/a-state-of-anarchy
WHAT happened in Wazirabad last week was perhaps a story foretold. The gun attack on Imran Khan has pushed the country deeper into anarchy. The would-be assassin may have been arrested but the motive behind the shooting remains shrouded in mystery. The former prime minister has been quick to blame the top government leaders and a senior ISI official for plotting the attack. He has named names.
It may have been a lone-wolf action but the incident has inflamed an already volatile situation. The attack has weaponised the PTI’s ongoing ‘long march’. By directly implicating a senior intel official in the alleged plot to ‘kill him’ the former prime minister has taken the battle to GHQ.
It seems to be a well-calculated move to step up the pressure on the security establishment on the eve of a critical transition in the army high command. Imran Khan’s letter to the president calling upon him to act against the “abuse of power and violations of our laws and of the Constitution”, and to delineate “clear operational lines” vis-à-vis the ISPR has accentuated the political divide.
Who will be the next army chief?
Khan has also urged the president to take note of what he describes as “serious wrongdoings”, which were weakening Pakistan’s security, and to hold the “guilty” to account. Clearly, he was referring to elements within the security establishment.
The fear of civil strife looms large with the impending collapse of state institutions.
Khan’s appeal to the president for action seemed to have been triggered by last month’s unprecedented media briefing by the ISI and ISPR chiefs where the former prime minister was censured for his false foreign conspiracy narrative. The stand-off between the PTI and the security establishment also worsened after the alleged custodial torture of former federal minister Senator Azam Swati. The elderly senator who was arrested by the FIA last month in a case registered against him over a controversial tweet is now out on bail. He has accused two senior intel officials of being involved in the alleged crime.
Meanwhile, the release of an objectionable video featuring him and his wife has caused public outrage across the political divide. The image of the elderly senator breaking down during a press talk has shaken the country. Nothing could be more sinister than this act of videotaping the private life of an honourable member of parliament and releasing it. Predictably, fingers have been pointed at the security establishment.
Imran Khan’s insistence on nominating the intel official, along with the prime minister and interior minister, as a suspect in what he describes as a plot to kill him has intensified his confrontation with the security establishment. Unsurprisingly, the allegation drew a scathing rebuttal from the ISPR.
In a statement, the military rejected the accusation as “baseless and irresponsible” and warned that allegations against the senior army officer and the institution are “absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for”. The military has also urged the government to take action against the former prime minister for maligning the security institution.
Such scathing public exchanges are rare. They clearly show the growing hostility between the former prime minister and his erstwhile patrons. His aggression against the military leadership denotes no breakthrough in ‘back-channel talks’ with the generals. Apparently, the demands presented by Khan were believed to be unacceptable to the establishment. His rising populist support seems to have added to Khan’s hubris.
Moreover, though in opposition, the PTI has control of two of the most important provinces besides being in power in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Having a government in Punjab has particularly given the party huge political leverage, making it much harder for the establishment to deal with the challenge posed by the PTI.
Still, it was not possible for Khan to get an FIR registered against the senior military official whom he publicly accused of plotting to kill him. The resistance apparently came from the chief minister of the province himself. It was hard for Parvez Elahi to take on the establishment.
Despite all the efforts by the PTI chief, the police refused to register cases against the prime minister, the federal home minster and the ISI official. It is only the gunman caught at the spot who has been named in the FIR after the Supreme Court’s order to register the first information report.
It was a clear message from the establishment about the limitation of Khan’s power and was seen as a strong rebuttal to the former prime minister. But that too has not stopped him from upping the ante.
It has been a good move by the prime minister to request the Supreme Court chief justice to form a full bench commission to probe the Wazirabad incident. Though in favour of a judicial commission, Imran Khan has expressed his reservations regarding the investigation agencies probing the failed assassination attempt. It’s highly unlikely that he will accept a verdict unfavourable to him.
Meanwhile, Khan has announced the resumption of the long march that was suspended after the firing incident. With violence spreading to major cities in Punjab, there is little hope of the situation calming down. It may take days for the march to reach Islamabad, but the siege of the capital already seems to have begun with PTI supporters blocking main entry points.
It may be outside the president’s constitutional power to act against a serving army officer as demanded by the former prime minister but the letter sent to him by Khan highlights the widening fault lines in the country’s power structure. The events of the past one week demonstrate the unravelling of the edifice. An increasingly divided state has worsened the power vacuum.
There is a complete breakdown of authority. The fear of civil strife looms large with the impending collapse of state institutions. The ongoing political confrontation and polarisation threaten to derail the democratic process. Imran Khan’s confrontation with the establishment cannot be taken as a battle for civilian supremacy. It’s a ruthless struggle for power. The country is hurtling towards a state of anarchy with no resolution of the crisis in sight.
IMRAN KHAN IS ONCE AGAIN FACING SAME DIFFICULTY AS BEFORE
SPECIAL COMMANDOS FROM KPK REACHES TO ZAMAN FOR IMRAN KHAN
IMRAN KHAN COMPLETE SPEECH
PTI Long March Plan For Islamabad
MBS IS COMING TO PAKISTAN AS IMRAN KHAN IS READY TO GO TO ISLAMABAD
PAKISTAN SHOULD CHOOSE RIGHT SIDE BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION- CHINA
IMRAN KHAN WROTE A LETTER AGAINST DG ISPR AND DG ISI TO ARIF ALVI
IMRAN KHAN LONG MARCH STARTS FROM THURSDAY
PDM vs PTI
Tajzia with Sami Ibrahim
IMRAN KHAN AND PAKISTAN’s VERY SCARY FUTURE
PAKISTANIS FED UP WITH ARMY PUTTING POLITICIANS IN POWER AND REMOVING THEM
Ex-ISI chief Asad Durrani
ZAID HAMID
https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid
1.This is going to be a rather provocative & candid thread on Pakistani politics today, which have come to a dead end & landed into a rather anarchic deadlock. Bringing political chaos is a global agenda today. Democracies are being killed, replaced by anarchy or dictatorships.
2. Look around. In every country it is same. What savagery they did in liberal western democracies in the name of Covid lockdowns & forced jab mandates put to shame even the worst autocratic dictatorships or even communism. This is all part of agenda 2030, Global Reset!
3. See Brazil today. The elections are leading to political & social chaos & calls for a military intervention. Just like global lockdowns under a common agenda, they plan to bring draconian dictatorships wherever they can. EU, China are ripe examples for this kind of rule.
4. But in most parts of the world, they will bring political anarchy only. Headless states, political chaos, civil unrest, economic collapse, military interventions, civil wars & external invasions, where required. Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine...etc
5. Pakistan falls in the 2nd category of country, where the globalists want total anarchy, destruction, civil war & an Indian invasion. The project started when Imran Khan was brought into power in 2018. He is a WEF agenda coordinator, just like that Trudeau, Boris, Rishi etc.
6. Pakistani nation voted for Imran under a euphoria that is the solution to the chronic cancer of Mafia rule, corruption & dynastic politics in Pakistan for decades. He was fully supported by the Military & the ISI. For the first time in decades, Civil-Military bond was strong.
7. The romance with IK started to shake very early into his government. Today he himself acknowledges that he came unprepared, did not have a team & the entrenched established mafias in civil servants refused to cooperate with him. He kept shuffling his team in panic...
8. It was very clear from the onset that he had lost control. In desperation, he turned towards the ISI & Army for doing even the most basic day to day civil matters of the government. Opposition would not listen to him either so he needed the muscle of ISI/GHQ to survive.
9. It's a simple law of politics. When the politicians or the Govt is weak, incompetent & corrupt, then the Army & Intel agencies will always caste long shadows in the power corridors, especially when the PM himself relies on their power & influence to survive on daily basis.
10. It's not just that IK was weak & had a thin majority in the parliament, he was also incompetent. Did not know a jack of national security, foreign policy & economy. So, he handed over these critical issues to his "imported" special advisors, some outright CIA planted spies.
11. Imran himself did what he knows best & feels comfortable in.... Charity work! He opened shelter homes, medical insurances, universal basic income projects (another WEF agenda) etc. Handling the opposition & all other critical state security matters were subcontracted.
12. At the international level, he was initially treated as a celebrity as well. Trump gave him a White House dinner. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Russia, Malaysia reached out warmly. He famously claimed after returning from US that he feels that he has won another world cup!
13. This is where the problem started. He started to think that he is indispensable for Pakistan. "I am the only option" he once arrogantly said and firmly believed. He started to take even the military establishment head on. He started to enjoy the power, limelight & the glamour.
14. If you are a strong leader in both parliamentary majority & character & also have a strong team & you are also delivering on all fronts, then Military cannot control you or interfere in your political affairs. But this was NOT the case with IK. He failed on all counts above.
15. Imran wanted to promote a particular General as the next Army Chief, so that he can help IK get another term of 5 years. Basically, dragging army into politics & hoping to ride on their shoulders into power for next term too. Dangerous ideas lead to fatal results ....
16. But there was a problem in this risky plan. The General IK wanted was very junior. A Major General. For him to get the required promotions & seniority to qualify as the next Chief of Army meant that the present one should be given a 3 years extension. So, it was done...
17. This artificial hybrid Civil Military Govt dragged on somehow for nearly 4 years but by this time serious fractures & cracks had developed over host of issues & their handlings. Biden had come into power & he considered IK as a Trump's man. Turkey & Malaysia felt betrayed.
18. Some seriously embarrassing diplomatic blunders took place with closest of allies like Saudis, Chinese & even with enemies like India. Kashmir was annexed by India in his tenure. Afghan Taliban took power & US exited from Afghanistan. Chinese were nervous over CPEC...
19. The last straw came when he insisted that a particular General should remain as the head of the ISI while the GHQ wanted to transfer him. Serious bad blood was generated & finally Army decided to pull the plug. Once army support was gone, he was dead meat for the opposition.
20. He has been removed through a vote of no confidence in the parliament. He & his party participated in it and lost. He claims that opposition bought his parliamentarians. That seems true as well. But this is the norm in Pakistani politics always. In his time, he also bought.
21. Army had saved his govt from collapse few times earlier also. He wanted army to support him this time too. But when that did not happen, he went rogue against the army leadership & the ISI. He needed a sellable narrative, so the idea of a US conspiracy was born. Total BS.
22. Yes, Biden wanted him to go but that is NOT the reason why he is out. He is out because he started to interfere too much into the personal space of the Army & ISI to that extent that he started to dictate the postings & promotions of the army officers for his political ends.
23. This is also true that GHQ & ISI have made terrible blunders in handling him. First was when they decided to help him & thought that he can be advised & trained. One officer dealing with him told me that they hope he will be on his feet in 2 years! They really thought that.
24. The next blunder was to replace him with the most notorious crooks, traitors & scumbags in Pakistan's history. That created a bigger crisis & gave a new life to IK. In their defense, GHQ wanted to support democracy & those scums were the only alternate in the parliament.
25. So, this is where we stand today.. Supreme Court & GHQ & the Govt want the parliament to continue their terms & then go for fresh elections. Imran wants immediate dissolution of parliament, a caretaker govt & announcement of fresh dates of elections. Thats the deadlock!
26. IK is raising the temperatures dangerously hoping that it will force the Govt & the GHQ to backdown & succumb to his demands. That has created anarchy. Attempt on his life was a dangerous escalation & could have plunged the country into civil war is he had died.
27. I had asked him to delay his protests till November 27th, the date when the present Army chief is retiring. It is hoped that the new COAS will take measures to bring the political temperatures down. But IK, for some really strange unknown reasons, decided to push ahead.
28. With only 20 days left for change in Command in GHQ, IK has launched a fierce civil disobedience movement in the country. They have blockaded Islamabad & plan to march on the Capital city to force the govt to relinquish. He is taking a huge gamble & risking a civil war!
29. Why is he pushing the country to the brink? Especially when the Indians have recently given unprecedented threats of invading & taking over northern regions of Pak. He has already built a dangerous anti-Army & anti-ISI narrative deeply believed by his fanatic fan base.
30. He has recently built a very dangerous narrative that he is being treated like Sheikh Mujeeb in East Pak in 1971, which led to the dismemberment of the country. This is escalation beyond political norms, unless you want to force a civil war & a military takeover.
31.He also wants to push the present Nawaz Shareef govt out because he does not want them to name the next COAS. It is absolutely ironic that while all pol parties thrive on the narrative that military's political role should be nil, they all drag army into politics to survive.
32. Next 20 days are critical. Civil anarchy & protests. Civil war. Govt collapse. Hard Military intervention. Indian invasion... Appointment of new COAS. Political reconciliation. New caretaker Govt. All options are open. Fasten your belts please. End Thread.
A STATE OF ANARCHY
Zahid Hussain
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719854/a-state-of-anarchy
WHAT happened in Wazirabad last week was perhaps a story foretold. The gun attack on Imran Khan has pushed the country deeper into anarchy. The would-be assassin may have been arrested but the motive behind the shooting remains shrouded in mystery. The former prime minister has been quick to blame the top government leaders and a senior ISI official for plotting the attack. He has named names.
It may have been a lone-wolf action but the incident has inflamed an already volatile situation. The attack has weaponised the PTI’s ongoing ‘long march’. By directly implicating a senior intel official in the alleged plot to ‘kill him’ the former prime minister has taken the battle to GHQ.
It seems to be a well-calculated move to step up the pressure on the security establishment on the eve of a critical transition in the army high command. Imran Khan’s letter to the president calling upon him to act against the “abuse of power and violations of our laws and of the Constitution”, and to delineate “clear operational lines” vis-à-vis the ISPR has accentuated the political divide.
Who will be the next army chief?
Khan has also urged the president to take note of what he describes as “serious wrongdoings”, which were weakening Pakistan’s security, and to hold the “guilty” to account. Clearly, he was referring to elements within the security establishment.
The fear of civil strife looms large with the impending collapse of state institutions.
Khan’s appeal to the president for action seemed to have been triggered by last month’s unprecedented media briefing by the ISI and ISPR chiefs where the former prime minister was censured for his false foreign conspiracy narrative. The stand-off between the PTI and the security establishment also worsened after the alleged custodial torture of former federal minister Senator Azam Swati. The elderly senator who was arrested by the FIA last month in a case registered against him over a controversial tweet is now out on bail. He has accused two senior intel officials of being involved in the alleged crime.
Meanwhile, the release of an objectionable video featuring him and his wife has caused public outrage across the political divide. The image of the elderly senator breaking down during a press talk has shaken the country. Nothing could be more sinister than this act of videotaping the private life of an honourable member of parliament and releasing it. Predictably, fingers have been pointed at the security establishment.
Imran Khan’s insistence on nominating the intel official, along with the prime minister and interior minister, as a suspect in what he describes as a plot to kill him has intensified his confrontation with the security establishment. Unsurprisingly, the allegation drew a scathing rebuttal from the ISPR.
In a statement, the military rejected the accusation as “baseless and irresponsible” and warned that allegations against the senior army officer and the institution are “absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for”. The military has also urged the government to take action against the former prime minister for maligning the security institution.
Such scathing public exchanges are rare. They clearly show the growing hostility between the former prime minister and his erstwhile patrons. His aggression against the military leadership denotes no breakthrough in ‘back-channel talks’ with the generals. Apparently, the demands presented by Khan were believed to be unacceptable to the establishment. His rising populist support seems to have added to Khan’s hubris.
Moreover, though in opposition, the PTI has control of two of the most important provinces besides being in power in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Having a government in Punjab has particularly given the party huge political leverage, making it much harder for the establishment to deal with the challenge posed by the PTI.
Still, it was not possible for Khan to get an FIR registered against the senior military official whom he publicly accused of plotting to kill him. The resistance apparently came from the chief minister of the province himself. It was hard for Parvez Elahi to take on the establishment.
Despite all the efforts by the PTI chief, the police refused to register cases against the prime minister, the federal home minster and the ISI official. It is only the gunman caught at the spot who has been named in the FIR after the Supreme Court’s order to register the first information report.
It was a clear message from the establishment about the limitation of Khan’s power and was seen as a strong rebuttal to the former prime minister. But that too has not stopped him from upping the ante.
It has been a good move by the prime minister to request the Supreme Court chief justice to form a full bench commission to probe the Wazirabad incident. Though in favour of a judicial commission, Imran Khan has expressed his reservations regarding the investigation agencies probing the failed assassination attempt. It’s highly unlikely that he will accept a verdict unfavourable to him.
Meanwhile, Khan has announced the resumption of the long march that was suspended after the firing incident. With violence spreading to major cities in Punjab, there is little hope of the situation calming down. It may take days for the march to reach Islamabad, but the siege of the capital already seems to have begun with PTI supporters blocking main entry points.
It may be outside the president’s constitutional power to act against a serving army officer as demanded by the former prime minister but the letter sent to him by Khan highlights the widening fault lines in the country’s power structure. The events of the past one week demonstrate the unravelling of the edifice. An increasingly divided state has worsened the power vacuum.
There is a complete breakdown of authority. The fear of civil strife looms large with the impending collapse of state institutions. The ongoing political confrontation and polarisation threaten to derail the democratic process. Imran Khan’s confrontation with the establishment cannot be taken as a battle for civilian supremacy. It’s a ruthless struggle for power. The country is hurtling towards a state of anarchy with no resolution of the crisis in sight.