This week has been a wild roller-coaster ride for Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan, and it’s still unclear where his rift with the country’s powerful generals will ultimately take him: will he ever get another chance to be prime minister? Or has he messed things up so much with the military that he can wrap up politically?
This week’s bizarre course of events shows the tensions that have been building in the battle over Khan’s political future. All disputes revolve around his person, because he is the most popular of all politicians and can win elections.
The ex-prime minister and former cricket star was due to appear again before a court in Islamabad on Friday, having been accused of corruption and corruption in various investigations.
The most recent crisis began on Tuesday before the court in Islamabad: Khan was invited to a hearing that day, and he first had to undergo a biometric examination. Suddenly, paramilitary Ranger troops pull up on the compound, smash through a glass front to get inside, then drag Khan outside and force him into an armored vehicle.
quarrel with the military
Anyone who follows the scenes later on videos can understand to some extent why Khan’s lawyers are so outraged and speak of a state-organized “kidnapping”. A proper arrest looks different, especially since Khan will later also allege that he was hit on the head with sticks.
Allegedly, Khan was arrested because he is to be tried for corruption. His supporters call the accusation “politically motivated”. Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister-elect until April 2022, before being overthrown by a vote of no confidence in parliament. A few months later, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. He blames his fall on a conspiracy by his political opponents and the army, and he openly accuses a high-ranking officer of instigating the attack against him.
A car with Khan drives up to the Constitutional Court on Thursday.
(Photo: AP)
The arrest of Khan earlier this week was followed by three days of bloody rampage. Angry Khan supporters attacked military facilities and fought street battles with soldiers and police officers in several cities. At least five people died. Khan’s party says the people were simply gunned down, this cannot be verified. Hundreds are being arrested these days, including at least three other senior leaders of the Khan’s PTI party.
Constitutional judges call Khan’s arrest illegal
Then, late Thursday: A bang from the highest judiciary. Everything back to go. The constitutional court ruled that Khan’s arrest was “illegal and invalid”. And orders his release. Khan’s supporters cheer, his opponents are outraged and point to investigations by the anti-corruption agency, which wanted to put the former prime minister on trial for alleged misconduct.
So now freedom for Khan again? You don’t know on Friday morning. It’s a disturbing mess, some say just another chapter in an ongoing political soap opera in which political camps fight each other, and ultimately only vie for the favor of the powerful military. It is not apparent that they are taking the fate of the masses into consideration.
Khan always presented himself as someone who didn’t want to play this cynical game. But critics point out that he, too, appears unable to govern without the goodwill of the army.
One might even smile at all the fuss if it weren’t for the fate of 230 million Pakistanis, most of whom are desperately poor and struggling to survive. There are no jobs for young people, and the country is heading for national bankruptcy.
A variety of different investigations are underway against Khan
Like the newspaper dawn reported, Khan declared at the hearing of the constitutional court on Thursday that his party “does not want anarchy in the country. After all, we are a party committed to the constitution. We want immediate elections.” In an editorial, however, the newspaper pointed out that Khan’s legal difficulties were far from over.
A large number of different investigations are underway against the politician, mostly relating to allegations of corruption, all of which are dismissed by his camp as attempts to politically neutralize him. If convicted, he might be barred from voting for a long time.
So confused is the situation that two regional elections scheduled for Sunday – one in Punjab province, the other in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – are unlikely to take place now. It is also unclear how the national elections, which were scheduled for autumn, will continue. Khan’s party says their leader is being jailed only to prevent him from winning the next election again. But even Khan was not able to alleviate the economic misery during his time as head of government.
A rescue package from the International Monetary Fund is intended to save Pakistan from financial collapse, but recent unrest has raised doubts that it can be implemented any time soon.