The military is enraged towards Imran for calling its chief Qamar Javed Bajwa a traitor and labelling him Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq, each recognized in Indian historical past for betraying their masters. Jaffar and Sadiq had sided with the Britishers by stabbing within the again their leaders, Siraj ud-Daulah and Tipu Sultan, respectively. Unable to take extra insults from Imran Khan and social media accounts related along with his political celebration, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, Lieutenant Normal Nadeem Anjum, director basic, Inter-Companies Intelligence (ISI), accused Imran Khan of constructing unconstitutional calls for on the military for sacking the current authorities and saying early elections.
In an unprecedented press convention in Islamabad on October 27, the DG ISI made it fairly clear that the military as an establishment had determined to wind up the “Imran venture”. Conceding that Imran Khan was holding secret parleys with the military management, he disclosed angrily that on the one hand Imran needed the establishment to assist him seize energy and, on the opposite, he continued to focus on Normal Bajwa in his public utterances. In aveiled risk to Imran Khan and his supporters, the DG ISI additionally made it clear that the military would assist the federal government to take care of any law-and-order state of affairs arising out of the “lengthy march”, if the federal government so desired and requisitioned it as per the structure.
The military warning got here only a day earlier than Imran Khan launched his lengthy march to Islamabad from Lahore on October 28 to hunt early elections and removing of the federal government headed by Shehbaz Sharif. The march is tentatively scheduled to culminate in Islamabad on November 4. Earlier, the key parleys with the military and the federal government didn’t make any headway. Imran remained unmoved on his two calls for that the elections ought to be held early subsequent yr and the brand new authorities, which he believes can be headed by him, ought to have the correct to determine who will likely be Pakistan’s subsequent military chief. Normal Bajwa completes his prolonged time period on November 29 this yr.
Everybody in Pakistan is aware of that Imran needed to make his protégé Lieutenant Normal Faiz Hameed, corps commander, Bahawalpur, the subsequent military chief. However sadly for Imran, he retires on April 30 subsequent yr. Therefore he needed to take the route of mass mobilisation as a present of energy to paralyse the federal government and drive its collapse. Nothing new in Pakistan. The military had taken that route a number of instances previously to ship inconvenient political leaders packing.
What has raised alarm bells ringing within the military just isn’t the open defiance being exhibited by Imran, however that his narrative towards the military’s interventionist position in inner and exterior insurance policies of the nation is being accepted by the lots. He has a big following among the many youth. These youth are additionally energetic on social media that multiplies many instances the anti-army message that Imran repeats on each public platform. Nobody else however the military has itself guilty for the current state of affairs. Imran Khan’s defiant perspective has given voice to hundreds of thousands towards the military for strangulating the democracy, justice, freedom of speech and aspirations of the youth. The youth are indignant and able to converse their thoughts out. What embarrassed the military no bounds have been the elevating of slogans like “Yeh jo dehshatgardi hai, uske pichhe vardi hai (Uniformed individuals are behind terror assaults)” by youth throughout a convention organised by the Asma Jahangir Basis every week in the past at Avari Resort within the coronary heart of Lahore. Probably the most vociferous speaker towards the military, Manzoor Pashteen of the Pashtun Tahafuz Motion, was welcomed on the dais amidst anti-army and proazadi slogans by the youth. The identical state of affairs was repeated when Sardar Akhtar Mengal of the Balochistan Nationwide Occasion spoke. When folks raised slogans towards enforced disappearances, Bilawal Bhutto, international minister, who was giving a valedictory tackle, smilingly informed them to go and protest on the proper place (military). It’s a totally different matter that the military pressured him to apologise later.
Whereas the lots proceed to undergo backbreaking inflation and big unemployment, the highest political and army management is busy in an influence battle. Everyone seems to be exposing the opposite, leaving folks confused and indignant. The gang that Imran attracts and should be part of his lengthy march has a big part of those that are shedding hope. Whether or not Imran succeeds or fails in his goal of grabbing energy, the folks of Pakistan would be the losers both manner. If the individuals are latching on to Imran’s narrative right this moment, quickly they are going to see by way of his sport plan additionally.
