A former prime minister has yet again been arrested in Pakistan. Imran Khan, leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, whose ouster as PM in April 2022 through a vote of no-confidence catapulted him to cult status as a people’s hero, has been taken into custody for allegedly being a beneficiary of funds laundered by a real estate tycoon. The case against him is not important — he is named in over 140 cases, including one on profiting from state gifts. His arrest was simply a question of when, not if.
The reason: He took on the military, angered by its withdrawal of patronage and its refusal to help him stay in office. From then on, the former star cricketer was seen summoning every ounce of his charisma as “Captain” of Pakistan to rally the people against the military and the Shehbaz Sharif government that replaced his regime. But the more confident he grew of his popular support and pressed his demand for immediate elections, the more it became clear he would not be allowed to lead a government again.
Last month, the government defied a court order to hold elections within the constitutionally mandated period to two provincial assemblies controlled by Khan’s PTI. The court had set May 14 as the date for the election, but there is no indication so far that they will be held.
Khan’s error of judgment was that he forgot that those whom he railed against still call the shots. Since the time of an apparent assassination attempt on him during his “long march” last year to influence the choice of the new Army chief, he has openly raged against the army brass, Prime Minister Sharif and the country’s home minister.
As the Army, too, appeared divided along political lines at several points, Khan was likely convinced he had defanged the new chief. Two months ago, he had managed to prevent an attempt to arrest him by mobilising his supporters, resulting in clashes outside his home. The police had withdrawn then, but this time there was no give. What certainly tipped the scales was Khan’s repetition of his allegation at a public rally last week that the ISI was out to kill him, and that it had made not one but two attempts. Coming on top of open talk that the Army could not fight a war against India, it appears that a decision was taken to arrest him.
Protests against Khan’s arrest have erupted across Pakistan. His supporters are targeting the Army, literally shaking the gates of the most powerful political force in the country. It is difficult to see it backing down. The Army’s institutional memory runs too deep for failure on the home front.
General Asim Munir has shown he can play the part, and now he has little option but to play it till the end, whatever that might take. If all goes according to the Army’s script, Khan is likely to be convicted in one or more of the many cases against him, and disqualified from running for office, meeting the same fate that he was instrumental in bringing upon his predecessor Nawaz Sharif.
Khan may make a comeback in the future, just as some of his predecessors managed to do. But for now, his party may have to be led by someone more acceptable to the powers that be.
