Turmoil in Pakistan

THE Prime Minister of Pakistan till April last year, Imran Khan is now reduced to being Prisoner No. 804 in the Attock jail. Five years ago, former PM Nawaz Sharif was rendered ineligible to contest elections after being sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. Imran had been the beneficiary as Sharif was knocked out of the fray weeks before the polls. Pakistan’s deep state was suspected to have orchestrated the judicial verdict against Sharif. A similar misgiving prevails in Imran’s case. Pakistan’s current economic freefall has remained unattended in this clash of institutions, making the common man sceptical of their ability to deliver the goods.

Imran has been facing relentless prosecution after his relationship with the army soured; he is now pinning hopes on the Supreme Court for his release. But in a polity where the system of negotiations and compromise has collapsed, the deep state and its political allies will try their best to make him ineligible for the elections scheduled for November. Not surprisingly, the global guardians of political rectitude have held their peace. Western powers seem to have green-lighted the impetuous and unpredictable rabble-rouser PM’s removal last year itself.

As if this internal turmoil were not enough, after two years in power, the Taliban in Afghanistan are unwilling to play the ISI’s game, having concluded that Islamabad has no economic heft and is hardly a model Islamic state. The ISIS seems to have got its second wind as the Taliban are apparently doing little to check its attacks on the Pakistani state. The recent suicide bombing that targeted a pro-army political party was claimed to be the handiwork of the ISIS. The onus is now on caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar to ensure a conducive environment for the elections. 

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#Imran Khan #Nawaz Sharif #Pakistan