Political instability persists as former Pakistani PM Khan marks prison anniversary

LAHORE, PAKISTAN

The tree-lined driveway leading to former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan's personal residence in Lahore is quiet. A harsh crackdown on his political party has driven away supporters who used to party late into the night and sleep on their beloved leader's doorstep.

Today, only a small contingent of police officers idly watches over this emblematic address in the eastern metropolis of the country. A sign bearing a verse from the Koran blesses the resident, absent for a year.

August 5 marks the first anniversary of Khan’s imprisonment on corruption charges in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. Over time, the former prime minister’s list of alleged crimes has grown to include treason, illicit marriage, inciting violence against the state and inciting vandalism against military and public property.

The convictions came in quick succession, sentencing one of the country's most popular politicians to nearly three decades in prison as Pakistan prepares for general elections next February. But in July, higher courts overturned the lower court verdicts.

Despite much-needed legal help, Khan remains behind bars, charged with corruption and violence against the state. He denies any wrongdoing.

Khan’s imprisonment and the military’s sustained crackdown on his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), may have ended the street unrest that followed his ouster in 2022, analysts say. They have failed to bring political stability. Instead, the widely criticized measures have plunged the state’s powerful institutions into a bitter struggle.

Military versus Judicial

Veteran journalist and political analyst Suhail Warraich says the legal aid Khan received after a very public spat with the country's powerful military is unusual in Pakistan's political history.

“For the first time, the alliance between [military] “The judicial and institutional system that has existed since 1954, in which the judiciary could validate any decision taken by the military, no longer exists,” Warraich told VOA. “We know that [military] “The establishment wants one decision and the judiciary makes a different decision.”

Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, spokesman for Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told VOA that the legal victories were expected.

“We knew that when his [Khan’s] “If cases are brought to a court, once they are brought to a higher court, it will be virtually impossible for a judge to consider these earlier cases as genuine,” Khan's close aide said.

Khan, however, accused Pakistan's Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa and the chief judge of the Islamabad High Court of bias, demanding their recusal from his cases.

Last month, a United Nations-backed panel of experts declared Khan's detention arbitrary.

Guards guard the personal residence of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore.

Speaking to VOA, Punjab government spokeswoman Azma Bukhari rejected the popular view that the state has failed to bring credible charges against Khan.

“Khan is a lucky man! It is not as if the government has not been able to provide evidence. It is just that nothing stands in the way of Imran Khan,” said Bukhari, a member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party.

“There is a feeling that only those who side with Khan will be respected and spared from harassment,” Bukhari said, accusing senior judges of favouring Khan under populist pressure.

Analysts VOA spoke to agree that some senior judges may be following public opinion.

Fuzzy ideology

Since his ouster, Khan may have succeeded in releasing pent-up public anger at the military's self-proclaimed interference in politics, but it is unclear whether his aggressive criticism of the top brass is rooted in a desire for civilian supremacy, political observers say.

Last week, Khan offered “conditional negotiations” to the military if the leadership appointed a representative. He has refused to talk to politicians. The message came in a post on his X account, formerly Twitter, which is operated from abroad.

“We will not hold any discussions or negotiations. [a deal] “With the puppet and mafia regime, which was imposed on us illegitimately through fraud and deception,” the message said.

Government spokesman Bukhari and journalist Asma Shirazi criticized Khan for rejecting talks with public representatives.

“It is important to clarify what is Khan's ideology? What does he want? How does he see democracy, civil supremacy, freedom of expression? Where does he want to go?” Shirazi asked.

A supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan holds a placard during a protest rally in Sydney, Australia, on August 4, 2024, demanding Khan's release.

During his tenure, Khan denied accusations that he rose to power with the support of the military, although he often boasted of his closeness to the powerful institution. He repeatedly accused his political opponents of corruption and treason, without providing evidence. In 2021, the media watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders listed Khan as a “predator of press freedom.”

“The way the constitution guarantees judicial independence, media freedom and civil liberties, the PTI doesn’t really believe in it,” Warraich said. “This is a problem for many democratic parties.” [-minded] “The elements are with him.”

Instability persists

Since May 9, 2023, when Khan's supporters stormed government and military properties in protest, the PTI has faced a severe military-backed crackdown, forcing several senior party leaders to defect or go underground.

PTI-backed candidates nevertheless won the largest number of seats in the February 8 general elections this year. The PTI has also managed to keep Khan and the party's plight in the international spotlight.

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for an investigation into allegations of election irregularities.

“There is a diaspora that has influence and uses it,” Shirazi said.

Pakistan has rejected the US lawmakers' statements as unwanted and unwarranted interference.

“This is not interference. This is awareness,” Khan’s aide Bukhari said, defending the leader’s seemingly contradictory position of seeking support from U.S. lawmakers while accusing the Biden administration of conspiring to oust him. Washington has denied the allegation.

Sharif's government appears to have backed down from its recent threat to ban the PTI over alleged anti-state activities, but the party's spokesperson and members of its electronic and social media team are under arrest, facing charges of anti-state propaganda and terrorism.

The social media platform X, where Khan's supporters are active, has remained largely suspended in Pakistan since February, while the PTI's attempts at street agitation have been frequently stifled.

Despite his imprisonment, Khan holds the key to ending the political impasse that continues to destabilise the country, Shirazi insists, since public sympathy remains with him.

The battle between Khan and the military, however, has profound implications for Pakistan, she said.

“This is not a power struggle,” Shirazi said. “This is a power struggle.”

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