Opinion Express View on Imran Khan’s conviction: A PM bites the dust

On the face of it, then, we are back to the same old cycle in Pakistan’s politics, where the army leadership once again prevents an elected prime minister from completing a full term in office and locks him up. Not so fast, though. Unlike his predecessors, Imran Khan has refused to bow to the army diktat and challenged the military leadership boldly ever since he lost majority in the National Assembly in April 2022. He mobilised the street in massive rallies and dared the army to get him. His arrest in May was followed by major rioting that targeted some army establishments. The army chief, General Asim Munir, seized the opportunity to crack down hard on the protestors, muzzle the media, and organise defections by leading members of Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Yet, the temptation to frame Imran Khan’s arrest as a “crisis of democracy” and as an example of the brazen military interference in politics, must be resisted. There was never much democracy in Pakistan, and the army’s domination over politics has only grown in recent years.

It is important to recall that the army ousted Nawaz Sharif in 2017 as part of a project to install Imran Khan in power and run a “hybrid” civilian-military government; the army rigged the 2018 general elections to favour Imran, and when that was not enough, brought additional members to PTI and constructed a majority for him in the National Assembly. During his tenure, Imran Khan showed little respect for democracy, targeted the media and Opposition leaders, and tanked the economy with populist measures. His problem with the army was not based on any principle but on his claim for the army’s unquestioning support for his rule. The real news from Pakistan, then, is about General Munir’s consolidation of power. If his predecessor, General Qamar Jawed Bajwa, launched Project Imran, General Munir is burying it. He has strong support from a large section of the political class, especially Nawaz Sharif, in this enterprise. Delhi will closely watch how the alliance between General Munir and Nawaz will play out in the days ahead.

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