heyImran Khan’s Instagram posts There was a Sun Tzu quote from last month: “An evil man will burn his country to ashes to rule over the ashes.” In retrospect, it sounds like a note-to-self from Pakistan’s former prime minister. Last week’s demonstration of Imran Khan’s followers burning down the laboratory that gave birth to their beloved leader says a lot. Talk to supporters and they will assure you how they have brought about a never seen before revolution in Pakistan. Look around you and all you see is a country in ashes.
The much-anticipated arrest of Imran Khan in a corruption case has revealed his involvement in taking a bribe of 458 kanals of land from business magnate Malik Riaz. This was a compensation arrangement in which Khan, as Prime Minister, returned Riaz’s ill-gotten £190 million, which the Government of Pakistan had received as a settlement from the United Kingdom. Now, for a leader who has built his image on an anti-corruption agenda and has branded every opponent a thief (Thief), It is ironic that his followers chose to destroy the country for a £190 million corruption scandal. Even irony could not cope with such hypocrisy.
In the nationwide violence so far, PTI workers have targeted government and public premises. Radio Pakistan building, metro buses and terminals, hospitals, schools, ambulances, motorcycles, cars, containers, tankers and even an Audi showroom have fallen victim to their rampage. As a result, educational institutions remain closed and O’ level examinations have been canceled across the country.
parade of khaki pants
The most significant attacks by PTI rioters have been on installations occupied by the army. General Headquarters in Rawalpindi (which was last attacked by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists in 2009), Corps Commander’s House in Lahore, Pakistan Air Force Base in Mianwali, Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Army Welfare Trust Office , checkpoints, and CSDs in various cities have all been targeted. He even set ablaze the monument of MM Alam’s fighter jet of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Kargil war soldier statue Karnal Sher Khan The squares were destroyed along with monuments to veterans of the 1965 and 1971 wars. This scene is unimaginable and alien to the Pakistan of today or tomorrow.
The ransacking of the corps commander’s home is reminiscent of a parallel universe takeover of the Taliban’s presidential palace in Kabul. Imran Khan’s nephew Hasan Niazi proudly displays Corps Commander’s khaki pants Told the crowd, “General sahib’s waist is 50 inches.” Another protester wearing a commander’s uniform shirt claimed that the soldiers took off their pants and surrendered to India in 1971 and are now surrendering to PTI. Meanwhile, some vandals also stole women’s lingerie, a poignant evidence of a lavish lifestyle.
Looking for an Erdogan, they found a PTI uncle who had been stealing mutton korma and Coca-Cola from the kitchen of the Corps Commander, Lahore. This is proof that no revolution can be successful on an empty stomach. Is this the Sri Lankan moment Imran Khan wanted in Pakistan?
Those who looted peacock, pheasant, strawberries, phalsa, bhindi, potatoes, green chillies, tomato ketchup from the kitchen felt like they were reliving their 1947. independence (freedom) moment. It is not clear whether it was the looting or the burning of houses and mosques that gave rise to the atmosphere of 1947. Ironically, the Corps Commander’s residence is Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s property, which he bought in 1943. it as Zina (Fornication) Ghar, rather than Jinnah House, based on the luxurious life seen inside it. The last time a Jinnah House was destroyed was when the Balochistan Liberation Army set Ziyarat Residency on fire and planted bombs through rocket attacks in Quetta.
Harvesting 10 Years of Yield
Violence is not new to Imran Khan’s PTI. Since 2014, PTI has been involved in several incidents where its leadership has encouraged and its workers actively engaged in violence as a means to an end. However, that end was never achieved. In 2014During a sit-in in Islamabad, leaked phone calls revealed that Imran Khan and Arif Alvi planned and executed an attack on Pakistan television in an attempt to force Nawaz Sharif to resign as prime minister. With military support, the PTI launched attacks on parliament and the police during that phase. Now, ten years later, they have a militant wing trained to create chaos.
If far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik leader Saad Rizvi is arrested and his workers come out to protest, the Supreme Court of Pakistan should equally tactfully intervene to get him released. Why should one crowd be satisfied while another not? After all, both TLP and PTI are half-siblings from the same surrogate. One was banned for a while, and PTI is trying hard to add it to its resume.
Now, the Pakistani military establishment reaps its harvest in the form of Imran Khan and judges. In the post-Pervez Musharraf era, the two colluded to topple prime ministers and destabilize civilian governments, but now find themselves on opposite sides. Despite Army’s strong statement after attacks, calls PTI “a group dressed in political cloak” [that] In the longing for power, what the enemy could not do in 75 years, he has done. He invited Imran Khan to his court in a Mercedes, congratulated With warm words to him, and also issued a release order. The CJP declared Khan a “guest of the Supreme Court” and made sleeping arrangements for ten or more friends at the Police Line guesthouse. Really phenomenal.
The court restrained the authorities from arresting any prisoner of his choice in any case including undeclared cases lodged anywhere in the country till May 15. The only thing left for the court was to stop anyone from even dreaming of arresting Imran Khan. No political leader has had the fortune of getting such affection.
it’s not me you’re the boss
Fourteen months after referring to former Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa as Mir Sadiq Mir Jafar and blaming Bajwa for everything that went wrong when he held the Prime Minister’s chair during the glory days of “same page” Sitting, Imran Khan’s major concern remains as to why the current army chief Asim Munir does not stay with him. The question of why there has been no contact since Munir took over has been asked and answered time and again. Just a day before Khan’s arrest, PTI leader Asad Umar suggested That Munir and Khan be locked in a room so that they can talk. That’s de-escalation 101. Since that meeting did not take place, the new chorus is that “Army Chief Responsible for my arrest”.
There has been no ideological change or course correction from Imran Khan. Nor is he engaged in any noble fight for democracy. He views himself as the embodiment of democracy, inspired by China’s one-party system with a retrograde theocratic twist. A formal constitutional cover for their establishment was the scheme of quota seats in parliament. Unlike other political parties who oppose military interference in government affairs, Khan aspires to be God (Lapdog) Prime Minister once again. While Donald Trump still claims victory in the 2020 US presidential election, Imran Khan wants us to believe that he won the 2018 Pakistan general election fairly and without military support. It needs only one head in every election, even if it is the Chief Justice.
Imran Khan’s desire to become prime minister and “not declassify Asim Munir” as army chief will remain unfulfilled until one crore people out of a population of 23 crore rise in a Tahrir Chowk-like inquilab. Like many other aspirations since 2022.
The writer is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. His Twitter handle is @nalainayat. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)