Imran’s supporters fear, running an effective political campaign will not be easy, BBC
Chairman PTI Imran Khan was arrested for the second time on Saturday, August 5, a few months apart, but this time the reaction from his party supporters was completely different from the one that followed his arrest on May 9.
A clear difference is visible between May 9 and August 5, but what will happen next?
After the first arrest of Imran Khan, during the violent protests from Peshawar to Karachi, buildings were also set on fire, after which the army had to be called. However, August 5 was a normal night like any other night in Pakistan.
Imran Khan is currently in jail and has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for not declaring the proceeds from the sale of gifts from Tosha Khana to the Election Commission as part of his assets. will be disqualified.
In a video message before his arrest, the former prime minister called on the people to hold peaceful demonstrations in case of his arrest, which has not been effective so far. What could be the reason for this?
If you ask government ministers, they will tell you that it is because the people no longer want to support Imran Khan or his party PTI because it is a ‘violent party’, but Imran Khan’s supporters agree with this view. do not
Chairman PTI’s relations with the establishment deteriorated about a year and a half ago. According to analysts, Imran Khan came to power in 2018 with the help of the establishment and that was the reason why he was ousted from power when the support of the establishment ended for him.
After that, instead of sitting quietly till the next elections, Imran Khan continued to criticize the leadership of the army. However, after the arrest of Imran Khan on May 3, when attacks were made on military properties, the Pakistan Army assured that they would not make any concessions to those responsible. The subsequent crackdown has greatly weakened Imran Khan’s party.
Hundreds of PTI workers involved in violent protests were arrested, some of whom are being tried in military courts. This has been criticized by human rights organizations and they say that military courts should not try civilians.
Some people in the Pakistani media told the British Broadcasting Corporation that since the end of May, journalists can neither mention Imran Khan’s name nor show his picture. Even their name cannot be published in tickers.
Several PTI supporters said that they have stopped posting anything about PTI or the leadership on social media, have deleted old content and now don’t even watch Imran Khan’s YouTube address because Do you know if someone is watching them doing this?
The government told the BBC that it does not arrest peaceful protesters. However, the activists who gathered outside Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park Lahore on Saturday after his arrest were detained by the police. It is not yet clear whether he was formally arrested or not.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that they had arrested around 100 PTI activists. He said that orders were given to the police to be vigilant so that people do not gather in support of Imran Khan.
According to Michael Kugelman of the South Asia Institute of the Wilson Center, a think tank in Washington, I think Imran Khan’s supporters have been scared off by this brutal crackdown and have taken the hit. They don’t want to put themselves in danger this time, like they did on May 9.
He said that in a way, the army played their cards right, they have prevented a big reaction from the supporters of Imran Khan through this strategy.
On the other hand, Imran Khan’s legal team has made it clear that they will appeal against the verdict in the Tosha Khana criminal case.
During the last few months, his lawyers have been getting continuous temporary relief from various courts, which has not stopped the decisions of some serious court cases but has succeeded in delaying them.
It is not yet clear whether this trend will continue or not. Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 was dramatically changed to release. However, the political environment and situation at that time was different.
It should be noted that Imran Khan is one of the many Pakistani leaders who have suffered cases in the courts. Others include Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and former military dictator Pervez Musharraf among others. Imran Khan has also jailed several of his rivals as Prime Minister.
Pakistani politicians often take the position that Pakistan’s judicial system is used for political revenge against them, while what happens to their opposition is justified.
If Imran Khan remains ineligible, there are significant questions about what will happen to his party.
Imran Khan had told the BBC that PTI will exist whether he is elected or not. However, this opinion is not very close to reality.
Kugelman says, “There are elections in the coming days, so the next big question is how the rest of the PTI leadership will mobilize the people.” Will they try to bring their supporters to the streets, will they succeed? This is a
