Pakistan military targeted as Imran Khan’s failed assassination intensifies power struggle

In an unprecedented development thousands of protesters in Pakistan have besieged the residence of Peshawar corps commander Lieutenant General Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, as angry crowds took to the streets in key cities following the failed assassination attempt against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

 

The protests were energised after the injured Khan blamed  accused Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister and top ISI Major General Faisal,  for attempt on his life, said senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Asad Umar in a video statement

 

Following the tweet, The Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has prohibited news channels from airing PTI leader Asad Umar’s video, Pakistan daily Dawn reported.

The failed assassination has triggered countrywide protests in Pakistan, which have greatly strengthened Khan’s hand in the ongoing power struggle with the “establishment” led by the Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is to retire later this month.

 

The PTI leader is insistent in having his say in the appointment of the next Army Chief, in anticipation of coming to power, should fresh elections be held soon.

Paksitani daily Express Tribune is reporting that  Khan had earlier proposed a deal with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the appointment of the next Army Chief.

“Imran had suggested that we (PTI) give him three names and he gives three names for the post of army chief and then we decide on the appointment of the new chief from those six names,” the Express Tribune said. Sharif has reportedly rejected Khan’s “offer”.

With the crowds behind them, the PTI has stepped up the demand for snap polls. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has asserted that if the government wanted political stability in the country, it should step down and announce snap polls.

There is no let-up in the pressure on the establishment to relent to Khan’s demand. The  Insaf Students Federation, the student wing of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in a tweet quoting Imran Khan, has said that PTI’s long march towards Islamabad will resume from 11am on Friday.

Right now there are at least three possibilities in the ongoing power struggle. First, a peaceful transition is possible if the “establishment” accepts Khan’s key demands and heads for early elections. Second, a bloody confrontation can ensue in case the Long March goes out of control once it enters Islamabad, deepening the crisis further and widening the fissures among stakeholders. Finally, the rock-solid military will be under the scanner. Dissent within the military can no longer be ruled out   as several retired Generals have supported Khan, and rumours have swirled thick and fast of a tussle between Army Chief Bajwa and former ISI had Faiz Hameed, who had been moved from Peshawar and posted as Corp Commander in Bahawalpur.

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