On 3 November, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was shot at a political rally in the city of Wazirabad. While Khan escaped with some injuries, he accused the current Pakistani government, run by political rival Shahbaz Sharif, of ordering his assassination. While the administration has vehemently denied Khan’s allegations, the shooting marks an alarming decline in Pakistan’s politics at a time of crisis.
What actually happened?
Imran Khan has been a thorn in the side of the current government since he lost his post in April 2022. He has criticized the administration for its inability to deal with Pakistan’s economy woes, high inflation and a devastating flood that is said to have submerged a third of the country. Khan was participating in a protest march along with his supporters when a gunman opened fire on the former prime minister and his party. One of Khan’s supporters was killed while he was reportedly shot three times in the leg. The gunman argued that he believed that Imran Khan was misleading the people and tried to assassinate the leader.
You might also like
Government does not benefit much from windfall tax
5 Charts Decode the Way Musk’s Twitter Moves
What is the impact of rising US bond yields on India’s economy?
Don’t be fooled by SBI, BoB shares
Khan left the hospital three days later and accused key people of the current government, including the interior minister, of sponsoring the attack.
How has the country and the world reacted?
Prominent figures in the government immediately condemned the attack. President Arif Alvi called it a “heinous assassination attempt”, while Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack. However, the government also rejected claims that it was behind the attack on Khan. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who is one of the figures accused by Khan, said the government saw Khan as a “political rival and not an enemy”.
There was also an international reaction to the attack. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said “violence has no place in politics” and called on all parties to stop “violence, harassment and intimidation”. Turkey also condemned the attack on Imran Khan.
What does this mean for the country’s politics?
Pakistan is facing a political crisis. The country’s financial and debt woes are increasing while inflation is ravaging the economy. Recent floods have caused an estimated $30 billion in damage and created a humanitarian disaster.
However, the country’s political leadership is sharply divided. Given the country’s economic and social problems, the government has consistently faced unpopularity. After being removed from his post, Imran Khan has increased the difficulties of the government. He has launched protest marches, blaming his fall from power on a foreign conspiracy and targeting the country’s powerful military establishment. Just days after he was shot, Khan announced that his protest march on Islamabad would continue. Experts believe that the attack on Khan at the time of crisis will further widen the gap between the government and the opposition.
How is the crisis likely to play out? What would this mean for the world?
Another civilian leader appears set to clash with the powerful army chief Qamar Bajwa, who will end his term at the end of November and is said to be trying to enforce his choice to remove Khan. He played a part in his step down after doing so. position in the army. While Khan grew worse in his first conflict with the Almighty Military Forces, he enjoys significant popularity among the general public, which may increase after an attack on his person. He is agitating for a general election, which the current government hopes to hold next year.
The current government and the army chief have worked to keep relations with the western world and India at par. Bajwa, in particular, pushed for a less confrontational stance towards India, at least figuratively, and recently visited Washington DC to strengthen Pakistan’s ties with the US.
For his part, Khan has been consistently anti-Western. He targeted the US government directly by accusing a middle-level diplomat of conspiring against him. By repeatedly calling Sharif’s administration “an imported government”, Khan has tried to persuade supporters of a nexus against him.
Elsewhere in Minto
In opinion, Kaushik Basu says that popular anger reflects a fundamental misunderstanding which induces inflation. David writes about Fickling Bullion Buying and the Zombie Apocalypse, Ruchi Gupta says ONDC has many questions to solve, Tall story tells whether China is exiting zero-covid mode soon.
catch all business News, market news, today’s fresh news events and breaking news Updates on Live Mint. download mint news app To get daily market updates.