April 9, 2022, was a special day for Pakistan. On that day, Imran Khan, who came to power democratically, was removed from power by a motion of no confidence. One hundred seventy-four members of the 342-member council supported the no-confidence motion.
Imran Khan, also the former captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team, was elected prime minister in 2018 to fight corruption with promises to fix the economy. However, the country’s powerful army that he put in power was displeased with the Prime Minister. The result was the loss of the post of Prime Minister.
Why was there a rift between Imran and the army?
Today, Imran is in jail. Groups loyal to his party ran independently and won the most seats in the last election. But it was not possible to form a government.
Political commentators think that the reluctance of the Pakistani army has come to the fore. Due to a statement made by Imran Khan himself, it became a public fact that America conspired to remove Imran Khan due to his refusal to stand with Washington on the issues against Russia and China.
He made the same statement two years ago, and he emphasised that the US is not standing for the government of Pakistan but for the army.
Meeting Putin during the invasion of Ukraine
Former Prime Minister Imran met President Putin in the Russian capital on the day Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the Pakistan Army heavily criticised this meeting. The dispute between the army and the civilian prime minister escalated into a conflict based on that issue.
Although the recent election was full of corruption, America did not express any opinion regarding this result. The Election Commissioner in charge of the Rawalpindi region has said that the results of all 13 constituencies in that region were changed. However, countering them is hampered, as the army is behind everything.
The necessary background to form a coalition government with the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Party) and the Pakistan People’s Party is prepared now. A situation is also being observed where they get maximum support from the army.
Army Commander Asim Munir’s will
Nawaz Sharif’s brother, Shebash Sharif, is set to be sworn in as the new prime minister. At the same time, Benazir Bhutto’s son, Bilawal Bhutto’s party, the Pakistan People’s Party, has decided to support the new government without accepting the minister’s post.
For this purpose, the post of president will be given to Benazir Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, according to the country’s reports. Imran Khan’s party has emphasised that everything is happening at the behest of Army Chief Asim Munir.
The party thinks that a group of people who have “stolen the mandate” is preparing to form a government and that government cannot be accepted.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party fielded its candidates independently and won 93 of the 256 National Assembly seats.
It was the most seats won by a single party, falling short of the simple majority of 169 needed to form a government. In this situation, it is seen that they did not try to create a government with the support of other parties.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came second with 75 seats, while Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) came third with 54 seats.
According to Pakistan’s constitution, the government should be formed three weeks after the election date. The National Assembly has 366 seats, of which 266 are decided by direct vote, and 70 seats are separately reserved for women, 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims. These are allocated according to the strength of each party in the House.
The bitter history of Pakistan, which separated from India in 1947
Pakistan, which seceded from India in 1947, has yet to have a pretty history. Generals have ruled the country for almost half of Pakistan’s history. Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir has taken advantage of the fact that no one has won a clear victory in this election.
It is the responsibility of all political parties to respond with political maturity and unity as the people of Pakistan have faith in their constitution, and 250 million people are already watching what is happening.
Imran’s statement created controversy in the army
Addressing a rally held in Lahore in May last year, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan’s statement caused the country’s army to panic, and Imran Khan addressed thousands of people from his bulletproof car and said that he would kill Major General Faisal Nasir, who works in the intelligence department of the Pakistan Army—tried twice.
He also noted that well-known journalist Arshad Sharif was killed on the instructions of the army chiefs. The former prime minister’s statement caused consternation in the army, which the army headquarters in Rawalpindi issued a statement strongly condemning Imran’s statement.
Imran’s arrest and people’s protest against the army
In this background, Imran was arrested in front of the High Court in Islamabad on May 9, 2023. After Imran’s arrest, it spread across the country in a violent situation.
It was seen how the army intervened to suppress them. As a result of these protests, ten people died, and around 2,000 others were arrested. However, under any circumstances, the people took to the streets against the army.
This happened for the first time in the history of Pakistan. There are also occasions when Pakistan’s army managed to seize power in the country through three coups. However, the people never opposed the military in those cases. However, it is identified that the people acted differently in the activism regarding Imran Khan.
The emergence of public opposition against the army is also a matter that is strong enough to change Pakistan’s traditional political pattern. It is clear that these protests even led to the military’s silence in some cases.
In October 2021, Imran Khan and the Pakistan Army clashed over appointing a new Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence. Imran Khan wanted Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed to continue in the post.
It was also stated that securing victory in the upcoming election was its underlying purpose. However, in November 2021, the military chiefs moved to appoint Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum as the chief of military intelligence, thereby vetoing Imran Khan’s idea.
Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison at the end of last January. It came a day after Imran Khan was sentenced to 10 years for leaking state secrets. In this situation, he was also banned from contesting the 2024 election.
Pakistan Army is behind the whole. It is that powerful. However, a problem that can be identified in Pakistan when examining historical issues is that the army’s contribution has not been presented optimistically in relation to every elected government.
From that perspective, it is difficult to identify when the military is ready. It also applies to any future prime minister, and how Pakistan’s position will be written remains to be seen.
