Release Date: Release Date – 12:30 AM, Saturday – November 5th
The assassination of former prime minister Imran Khan marked Pakistan’s inevitable turmoil; a fall that many fear could lead to another martial law. The attack came at a protest rally held by his party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – near Wazirabad, amid an ongoing confrontation between Imran and the army. No civilian leader in Pakistan’s history has challenged the military, an all-powerful institution that controls the nation’s destiny, as openly and so fiercely as Imran does now, calling military generals “traitors and predators”. It seems ironic that Imran came to power in 2018 with the tacit support of the military. In fact, he was called the puppet of the army at the time. However, he quickly fell out with Rawalpindi’s bosses, the price of which was his ignominious ouster in April. He became the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be removed by a vote of no confidence. Since then, the PTI chief has been sharp in his criticism of the military and ISI, claiming at a recent public rally that he knew several of ISI’s dark secrets but chose to remain silent in the national interest. ISI Director-General Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum recently held an unprecedented press conference to refute allegations by Imran and his party leaders and reiterated that the army will remain apolitical and neutral sex, hardly any Pakistanis believe that.
While the arrested attacker admitted to police that he wanted to kill Imran because he had misled the people, claiming he acted alone, there are suspicions of a larger conspiracy. The attack brought back painful memories of the tragedy of 2007, when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing during a political rally. This remains an open case. And so are the disappearances and mysterious murders of many political activists. The recent assassination of a Pakistani journalist and anchor, Arshad Sharif, believed to be close to Imran’s party, in Kenya under interesting circumstances has once again brought ISI under public scrutiny. The journalist’s execution is widely believed to be linked to his ongoing corruption investigation at the highest levels of the Pakistani military. After being ousted, Imran still has the support of a majority of Pakistanis, as evidenced by recent parliamentary by-elections, in which his party won six of eight seats. Many Pakistanis see him as an honest man who entered politics to clean it up but failed due to the pull and pressure of vested interests. Surviving an assassination attempt could further enhance his public profile as a man willing to risk his life for a cause.
