Toshakhana case: The man who claimed to bring Pakistan out of trouble, the man who claimed that he will make a “Naya Pakistan”, the man who had the audacity to challenge the incumbent establishment, is now officially behind bars. Yes, we’re talking about Imran Khan Niazi, whose arrest has led to unprecedented chaos in the neighbouring nation. From army quarters, to even something like the official building of Radio Pakistan, anything that comes in the way of his supporters is reduced to rubble. However, this doesn’t diminish the truth that Imran Khan will soon be a target practice for the Pakistani forces.
The Toshakhana case
On Wednesday, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PTI chief Imran Khan was indicted in the Toshakhana case. This is a day after Khan was detained from outside the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Khan was sued in August 2022 by the coalition government, which was led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on the grounds that he failed to disclose information about presents given to Toshakhana and the money made from the illegal sale of some of the goods.
This has led to unprecedented protests throughout the nation. According to the media reports, today around 130 police officials were injured in clashes with Imran Khan’s supporters in Punjab province and over 25 police vehicles were set on fire. More than 14 govt buildings were gutted and looted after Khan’s arrest, the police confirmed.
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Leaders of the PTI have claimed that the ex-PM has been transferred to a “secret location” and raised concern that he would be tortured. In many cities around the nation, protesters flocked to the streets and got into fights with police and other security officials. In Quetta, there has already been one death and five injuries. Unrest was also reported from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. In light of the events, mobile and internet services have been halted throughout the nation. In Pakistan, access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube has also been blocked.
Nothing to lose
On Tuesday, hours before the arrest of the Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, he released a video responding to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and stating that he was chief of the country’s ‘largest’ political party and that he had no reasons to lie. The leader also said that he was mentally prepared to go behind bars.
In the 6-minute-long video, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said that the officer in question had tried to kill him twice and he was so powerful that he (Khan) was unable to register a Toshakhana case despite being in power in Punjab.
“Firstly, the ISPR has issued a statement that the army has been disrespected by me naming an intelligence officer that has tried to kill me twice. ISPR sahib, listen to me carefully. Respect is not confined to a single institution; respect should be for every single citizen,” Khan said reiterating that he was chief of the country’s ‘largest’ political party and that he did not need to lie.
My reply to ISPR & attempts by PDM & their handlers to arrest me for two reasons: 1. To prevent me from campaigning bec InshaAllah when elections are announced I will be doing jalsas. 2. To prevent me from mobilising the masses for street movement in support of Constitution if… pic.twitter.com/IQIQmFERah
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 9, 2023
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Toshakhana case: Tough call for Pakistani army
On the other hand, The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday condemned Khan’s ‘highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior military officer.
However, this does not diminish the fact that Pakistan is under several duress. The economy is in tatters, the armed forces are under the knife, and the masses are running helter-skelter, like headless chicken. As such, if they have to make sure that their hegemony remains unchallenged, Pakistan Army will have to do what it did to the likes of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, though that would far from a cakewalk.
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