A LONG MARCH, AND A LONG-DRAWN CRISIS

by In the first ever press conference

Lt chief of Inter-Services Intelligence,

on Gen Nadeem Anjum, he focused Imran Khan’s troubled relationship

was with the military. He said he

Qamar present when army chief Gen

an Bajwa was offered and declined

– in “indefinite extension” in March a clear reference to Khan’s government.

Lt Gen Anjum

Primarily because this is a rare occasion where the otherwise secretive ISI chief has stepped into the limelight and participated in the larger political mudslinging in the country. The ISI chief also accused Khan of indulging in double-speak by “holding meetings with the military leadership behind closed doors at night and maligning them in the light of day” – further highlighting the chasms between the country’s powerful Army and the PTI.

In what appeared to be a strong response to the ISI, Imran on Friday said that "he could have exposed the ISI but refrained for the betterment of the country."

Khan on Friday, launched his "long march" to demand early elections. Addressing supporters at Lahore's Liberty Chowk, the PTI chief said his march is not for politics or personal interest but to gain real freedom. Khan plans to arrive in Islamabad on November 4.

The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days.

The latest showdown is the latest in a string of crises for Pakistan – both politically and economically. As the Pak economy crumbled under the weight of rising prices of essential commodities like food, fuel, an agitation by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) eventually led to the collapse of PTI and, the PDM came to power.

Now, the new govt faces another economic crisis, right after floods ravaged the country. The new crisis also exposes the kind of on-the-ground mass mobilisation that Imran Khan continues to be capable of, despite the government’s efforts to press down on him.