“Pro-Imran Khan” protests are gathering pace across Pakistan (File)
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has supported Imran Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case as a means to end his political career, Dawn reported.
Significantly, Khan has directly accused General Munir of the ongoing crackdown against him by a pair of police and the Pakistan Rangers, the paramilitary federal law enforcement corps.
“Pro-Imran Khan” protests are gathering pace across Pakistan, pushing the country towards a complete breakdown of law and order. Some analysts fear a civil war-like situation or even an emergency military regime to restore stability in the country.
The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition and the military establishment are working together to nab Imran Khan from his Lahore residence in Zaman Park.
According to a Dawn report, on 14 March, Imran Khan called upon his supporters and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to gather outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, demanding that he be arrested. The efforts of the police could be thwarted. , Several prominent Pakistani personalities, lawyers and activists joined his supporters in expressing their outrage on social media.
It is reported that law enforcement agencies did not expect such violent resistance from PTI supporters outside Khan’s residence.
Recent developments have made two things clear: First, Imran Khan remains the most popular political leader in Pakistan, and will likely seize power if “free and fair” elections are held in the country.
Secondly, the military establishment has decided to imprison Khan or bar him from contesting elections in future. Importantly, the Pakistan Army believes that Khan has damaged their institutional reputation after the public spat between PTI chairman and former COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and hence, can no longer be trusted.
Since being ousted from power in April 2022, Khan has successfully constructed an “anti-army” narrative in Pakistan through his well-executed social media strategy, which he continues to implement amid ongoing protests. Is.
Expectedly, Imran Khan has been using various social media platforms to release videos, photos and messages aimed at attracting both domestic and international attention by playing the ‘victim card’.
Foreign media outlets are also airing his interviews to highlight the ongoing political turmoil and street violence in Pakistan.
Through his strong narrative against his impending arrest and his social media appeals, Khan has so far been able to garner significant success. The PDM government and its military backers are facing massive backlash on the internet against their “draconian” actions. More importantly, Khan directly confronted the military establishment by questioning their “neutrality” for sending Pakistani Rangers to target “unarmed” PTI protesters.
Following a day-long violent confrontation between PTI supporters and law enforcement agencies outside Imran Khan’s residence, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on 15 March ordered a halt to the police operation in Zaman Park “for a day”. The move has possibly given Khan and his supporters some breathing room before the final onslaught by law enforcement agencies to arrest the PTI chairman. Seizing the opportunity, President of Pakistan and PTI leader Arif Alvi made a fresh offer to mediate between the warring political factions to resolve the situation peacefully, reports Dawn.
In an unexpected tweet from the country’s President, Alvi said: “I am deeply saddened by today’s events. Unhealthy vendetta politics. Poor priorities of a country’s government that focusses on the economic plight of the people. Can we change the political scenario?” destroying?” I am concerned about @ImranKhanPTI’s safety & dignity like all politicians.”
Alvi’s response came after Imran Khan posted several pictures and videos on Twitter, claiming that his “arrest” was a “mere drama” as the real intention was to kidnap and kill.
Furthermore, in an alleged leaked audio call, PTI leader Yasmin Rashid reportedly requested President Arif Alvi to “intervene” in the police operation against Khan. Arif Alvi, as President of Pakistan, has the authority to examine the possibility of invoking constitutional emergency provisions in the country. According to the Dawn report, these provisions are placed in Part 10 of the Pakistani Constitution, which consists of six articles ranging from Article 232 to Article 237.
Under Article 232, the President is empowered to declare a state of emergency in the event of internal disturbances which exceed the control of any province.
In such a case, the Proclamation must be presented to the Parliament for approval by both the Houses within ten days.
Article 234 addresses the President’s power to impose emergency in the event of a “breakdown of the constitutional machinery” in any province.
In a worst-case scenario, Alvi could consider extending the article to Punjab, but would face opposition from the province’s governor, who happens to be the leader of the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. , Overall, Alvi has the constitutional right to explore the implementation of emergency provisions in Pakistan. However, such a decision cannot be taken without the approval of the powerful military establishment and without calculating the long-term political consequences for the PTI.
Ultimately, the violent confrontation between Imran Khan and the state authorities would escalate, leading to a civil war-like situation in Pakistan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)