Pakistan in ‘perilous situation’
O Assassination bid on Imran has pushed country into dangerous phase, say analysts
ISLAMABAD: The assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan and his accusation it was a plot involving a senior intelligence officer has pushed Pakistan into a “dangerous phase”, analysts said.
Imran escaped with bullet wounds to his legs from an assassination attempt on Thursday as he led supporters on a highly publicised march to the capital to press for early elections.
He claimed on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major-General Faisal Nasir – an intelligence officer – plotted to have him killed and have it blamed on “a religious fanatic”.
“The political situation in Pakistan has entered into a dangerous phase,” said academic and political analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan, who is also a board member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
“In a country with a history of political chaos, the sounds echo.”
Despite being ousted by a vote of no-confidence in April, Imran retains mass public support – winning a string of by-elections even as he battles a slew of legal cases brought by the current government.
As the pressure rises, the government’s dependence on the “deep state” – a term often used to refer to the powerful military – for its survival is increasing, Ahmed said.
“It is a perilous situation, not only for the democratic process but also for the country.
“The issue(s) of poverty, hunger, and development fall into the background.”
Imran and Shehbaz have been at each other’s throats for months, trading accusations of incompetence and corruption with language and tone dripping with contempt.
But such a public accusation by Imran, and the naming of a senior military officer, has taken the situation to a new level of crisis.
Imran has offered no evidence to back his claims, which the government has dismissed as “lies and fabrications”.
Criticism of the military – which has ruled the country for roughly half of its 75-year history – has always been a red line, but Imran has been increasingly outspoken against a security establishment many say backed his original rise to power.
On Friday, the military’s press wing issued a statement urging the government to take Imran to court for defamation.
Officials from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party could also be in the crosshairs.
Senior party members have already been charged with “sedition” and other offences since Imran’s ouster, as have journalists considered sympathetic to the former premier.
“It seems that now some sort of operation might be launched against PTI,” said Ahmed.
In such a charged atmosphere, multiple accusations and denials from both sides are unlikely to ever be properly probed, said Karachi-based political analyst Kaiser Bengali.
That, he added, leaves room for conspiracy theories to abound.
“The state has lost its legitimacy ... police, law and order institutions, even the judiciary,” he said.