As the military defends itself against criticism following Imran Khan departure, the ex-PM raises his vitriol against the powerful institution.
Pakistan, Islamabad –
Imran Khan is attempting to bend the arc of Pakistani politics once more to his mighty will.
Khan has immediately reverted to his political origins after being dismissed as Prime Minister, rallying his people against what he sees a rigged system. And his backers are responding in kind.
Khan was cheered on by a large crowd at a rally in Karachi on Saturday, where he once again laid out an alleged plot by the US to remove him from office. The remark was a jab at Pakistan’s formidable military establishment.
Major-General Babar Iftikhar, a military spokesman, made national headlines on Thursday by dismissing Khan’s assertion that the US had collaborated with supporters inside Pakistan to depose him.
Imran khan usage of the word “conspiracy” was directly denied by the military spokesman, provoking Khan’s appeal to the throng in Karachi. Khan’s back-and-forth with the military leadership is part of a high-stakes political strategy to maintain himself in the national political spotlight and push early elections on favourable conditions.
The risks for the cricketer-turned-politician are high, with the military leadership chafing at the unrestrained political criticism levelled at it since Khan’s exit, both in protests organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and on social media.
“Any effort to create a wedge between army and population will not be tolerated,” army chief General Qamar Bajwa was quoted as telling his officers, referring to unnamed “hostile forces.”
Bajwa also warned that “misinformation and propaganda endanger state integrity” and urged battling “speculations and rumors,” according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Reversal of roles
For years, the PTI took pride in being on the “same page” as the military leadership, claiming a level of civil-military cooperation that had previously been lacking under civilian governments.
The PTI regularly chastised its political opponents, particularly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), for purportedly defaming the military leadership.
Khan and his PTI are now being accused of targeting the military leadership by the PML-N.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, the likely next information minister, accused the PTI of organizing a social media campaign to “abuse institutions, encourage hate speech, and cause instability in the country” on Monday.
Imran khan’s current political quest
this time to reclaim power, is colliding with the reality of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif consolidating power, as his government now controls parliament.
And on Saturday, power was wrested from Khan’s PTI in the Punjab Assembly, Pakistan’s most populous province, amid fisticuffs.
Since Khan’s departure, a deluge of commentary and criticism has flooded social media and private messaging groups, ranging from dirges to screeds in Khan’s favour by retired military officers, apolitical military housewives, and young adults.
Published by: NIKITA GOSWAMI
