There was chaos in Pakistan after the arrest of ousted Prime Minister and chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party Imran Khan on May 9, 2023. With the Pakistan Supreme Court declaring his arrest unlawful, and the Islamabad High Court granting him bail for two weeks on the crucial Al Qadri Trust Case, Imran Khan and PTI should be relieved. However, there is unlikely to be a thaw in the political climate, with the government, the PTI, the establishment and the judiciary taking strong positions. Mr. Khan’s arrest while on court premises, a scathing press brief by the establishment’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) earlier, the violence on the streets, and the extraordinary relief granted to Mr. Khan by the judiciary should highlight the following four trends — of a bad situation becoming worse for Pakistan.
Prime target
First, the PTI’s response to its leader’s arrest. The extent of violence across the country and the number of PTI supporters taking to the streets should underline Mr. Khan’s popularity. The violence and rage was widespread (from Peshawar to Karachi) and was not random and indiscriminate. The primary target was the establishment, its infrastructure and some senior military. The Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore, the Frontier Corps Headquarters in Lahore, and the General Headquarters (GHQ) were targets. Anti-Army slogans and stone pelting of Army vehicles were witnessed. There are numerous videos on these attacks.
