Sharif’s son- in- law arrested
Maryam: Police broke my room door at the hotel and arrested Capt. Safdar
Pakistani police briefly detained the son- in- law of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday, accusing him of leading a crowd in a chant against themilitary at the tomb of the country’s founder.
The arrest of Mohammad Safdar came after Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League opposition party joined a series of nationwide protests against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. His arrest drew condemnation from the opposition, which said authorities wanted to target Sharif’s family.
“Police broke my room door at the hotel I was staying at in Karachi and arrested Capt. Safdar,” Maryam tweeted early yesterday. But he was freed later after a court granted him bail.
Safdar had visited the mausoleum of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who led independence movement in 1947. While at the tomb, Safdar led a crowd in chanting: “Give respect to the vote!’’ That slogan is viewed in Pakistan as criticism of the country’s military.—
Pakistan is bracing for more protests after an alliance of opposition parties kicked off a series of rallies calling for the resignation of PrimeMinister Imran Khan.
Khan’s administration is facing its biggest political challenge yet as it tries to manage a backlash over soaring food prices. Pakistan is importing sugar, tomatoes and the most wheat in a decade to stabilise prices after the South Asian nation witnessed its first economic contraction in about seven decades following a coronavirus lockdown.
At the same time, the government’s crackdown on opposition groups and the media has intensified. In an unprecedented move, two former prime ministers, Shah idKhaq an Abba si andNawaz Sharif, along with the current prime minister of Pakistan administered Kashmir, Raja Farooq Haider, have been charged with treason for criticising the military. Pakistan’s powerful military commanders are also facing unusual criticism from opposition parties, who have accused them of meddling in politics and toppling governments, intensifying the pressure onKhan’s proarmy administration.
Sharif accused army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and General Faiz Hameed, the head of the country’s spy agency, of conspiring to topple his previous government to help bring Khan to power. His claim — made in a speech from London at a rally in Gujranwala on Friday — set the tone for the 11- party opposition movement’s series of rallies that aim to oustKhan from power within three months.
The army has always been criticised for its outsize role in politics and governance, but “this is the first time its top leadership has been named for ousting elected governments,” said Naeem Ahmed, the chairman of international relations department at the University of Karachi.
Clear support
The opposition parties are “feeling insecure after a third political force emerged on the political horizon and formed a government with the clear support of the military establishment,” he said. Analysts have long seen army support as critical for Khan’s party, which holds just 46% of the seats in parliament and relies on smaller coalition partners to stay afloat.
A survey by Gallup Pakistan last month found 47% hold Khan’s government responsible for destroying the economy, while 41% disagreed. A majority of 51% agreed the army should stayout of politics, while 40% said it has a role in politics and overall management of the country, the survey found.
Khan’s “body language” shows he is worried, according to Shaista Tabassum, a political analyst from Karachi.
Building momentum
“Nawaz Sharif has gone for a head- on collision with the establishment,” the former chairwoman of the department of international relations at the University of Karachi, said on the phone, referring to the army. “The opposition alliance is building a momentum around their common agenda of ousting Imran Khan. The establishment is very intelligent and it will not stand behind a government, which is fast losing popularity.”
While the military has not responded to the opposition’s criticism, Khan vowed to defend the army, while accusing Sharif of following a “pro- India agenda.”
Sharif had his seven- year imprisonment in a corruption case suspended by the Islamabad High Court almost a year ago to seek medical treatment in London. He was disqualified by the Supreme Court in 2017 for not declaring his assets, a verdict that Sharif says was handed out under army chief Bajwa’s pressure.
“Nawaz Sharif has crossed the point of no return,” said Burzine Waghmar, a member of the Centre for the Study of Pakistan at SOAS University of London. “I do not think KhanBajwa will buckle under pressure despite the growing dissatisfaction across the country. For now they both will have to rough it out.”