MOHAMMED KHAKU
Pakistan is in for a tsunami after a military brass strike deal with two Godfather mafia patriarchs – PPP of Bhutto and PML-Nawaz Sharif to form the power sharing coalition. “The popular 1969 novel ‘The Godfather’ by Mario Puzo says, ” Every great fortune there is a crime” wrote Justice Khosa, the judge in the Panama File. The novel was a popular sensation which was made into an acclaimed film. Will the sun ever set on the dynasty of Sharif and Bhutto in Pakistan? Given the current election turmoil in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million has abundantly made crystal clear that Pakistan desires a democratic government. Pakistan’s Military used every trickery and deception to sideline Imran Khan. He’s been shot, jailed, had his political party effectively banned, and name purged from mainstream media. The Pakistan military junta just can’t silence Imran Khan. The only way now is to poison him in jail like Alexei Navalny in Russia. Pakistan is in for a tsunami after a military brass strike deal with two minority Godfather mafia parties PPP of Bhutto and PML-Nawaz Sharif to form the power sharing coalition. The Pakistan military has prevented the political alliance between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) join forces to protest against the alleged electoral irregularities witnessed during the February 8 polls. The Supreme Court (SC) of three member judges led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) threw out a plea seeking re-election and annulment of the February 8 election. Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chattha came out accusing authorities of having changed the results of independent candidates. While Matthew Miller, spokesperson at the US state department said, “Any claims of interference or fraud should be fully and transparently investigated.” This begs the questions to understand the relevance of Allama Iqbal to Pakistan today. What were Iqbal’s views on democracy and Iqbalian-Ijtehadi Islamic thought? He once said “Sultan-e-jumhoor ka aata hai zamana” – “Dawns the era of democratic rule is coming soon” Allama Iqbal played a pivotal role in the struggle and in the formation of Pakistan. Iqbal’s philosophy and poetry were instrumental in mobilizing Muslim opinion against British rule. So, has Imran Khan sitting in jail like Nelson Mandela and Dr. M.L. King mobilized the masses against the Pakistan military junta. On February 8th millions came out to vote for the independent candidate despite facing massive barriers despite the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) refusing to extend the time period because the army wanted to suppress voter turnout. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cricket-bat logo banned, constituency boundary lines redrawn, and its candidates were forced to run as independents, and yet the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the majority seats. Independent candidates affiliated with jailed Pakistani political leader Imran Khan’s party won at least 120 seats in the 266 National Assembly seats, delivering a surprise victory marred by falsifying and manipulating ballots by the military generals. The election result announcements late at night were suddenly suspended, and election fraud began in high gear. Race after race PTI candidates were declared winners and were then suddenly reversed. Imaran Khan is a victim of colonialism by the United States, from the 1977 coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the overthrow of Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. It was the USA and Pakistan military that facilitated the regime change by confidential diplomatic cypher by the State Department to oust Khan in a no-confidence vote. However, the voters delivered a clear message on Feb 8th to the USA and the military brass who have exerted unwarranted influence over the country’s fate since its birth in 1947. The country’s powerful army kept Imran Khan out of the ballot, but no number of orchestrations could stop candidates affiliated with the former prime minister from winning the elections. Is there a possibility for the PTI to share power with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Bhutto Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)? No, the Pakistani military generals will not let it happen. “Of course, there is no level playing field and no way this election can be seen as free and fair,’” says Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director for Human Rights Watch. I beg to ask this question! Why has the Biden administration not taken a stronger stance to condemn such Pakistan’s military shenanigans? Yes, timidly the State Department, several members of Congress, the EU Foreign Policy chief as well as the British Foreign Secretary have all called for an independent investigation into allegations of voter fraud. PTI voters were rewarded with a defiant victory speech after the elections, put together using artificial intelligence since he is still in jail. It was a shocking rebuke to the military brass. However, Shahbaz Sharif of the PML-N party is expected to be the nominee for Pakistan’s next prime minister, and backchannel talks are surely under way about cabinet portfolios. This political marriage between unlikely partners is driven by the necessity of keeping Khan out of power. An alliance of military and mafia out of necessity rather than common ideology will prevail. The next prime minister will have to accommodate the demands of coalition partners while confronting economic crises. Installing an unreliable unity government cooked up through back-door deals would only temporarily paper over the deep schisms of Pakistan’s political landscape. Such a government is unlikely to last long or bring genuine stability. With Khan’s popularity still intact, only free, and fair elections conducted under neutral oversight can bring stability in Pakistan’s chaotic environment. Did the U.S. government play a role in creating Pakistan’s current political crisis? Prime minister Imran Khan had always disagreed with the USA and the military generals on foreign policies. He resisted the military’s assertive control and blamed it for conspiring with the US to orchestrate his removal. Khan’s refusal to allow U.S. military bases in Pakistan, or let his country be used to fight “war on terror”, or trade with China, and refusing to side with the USA in the Ukraine war seems to have been a big factor in incurring the wrath of the United States. To pursue its hegemonic goals, the U.S. wants an obedient Pakistani leader who will give priority to U.S. interests at the cost of Pakistan’s national interest. Khan refused to do so. It was the State department with back-door manipulations of no-confidence vote in the dramatic midnight ousting of President Imaran Khan. A regime change – a replacement of the leader of a foreign country who does not obey the master. When Khan threatened to escalate matters by dissolving provincial assemblies using his power, the military establishment struck back with full force. He was arrested and jailed on trumped-up charges like illegal marriage. Who is Imaran Khan? He is everyone’s partner in peace, but no one’s partner in war. He believes in settling all political problems through negotiations and diplomacy, never through military action. 70-year-old former Pakistan Prime minister Khan has a net worth of $50 million is the first politician who has challenged the basic notion of the Pakistani army being a guardian founders’ vision. Khan has also been known in philanthropy and is founder of two cancer hospitals and a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects’ college. He has also received an honorary fellowship of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for his services regarding treatment of cancer patients in Pakistan. He was one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders, Khan was later inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. Khan’s PTI party’s success was due to the Ai and social media swaying voters who are fed up with corruption, economic dysfunction, and years of military meddling in politics.PTI claims it has been cheated out of an absolute majority, and its supporters seem willing to take to the streets to demand acceptance of the PTI’s right to form the government. There is no doubt that PTI was denied a level playing field in the elections because true power lies with its military. Pakistan’s real decision-makers are the generals who think they are the masters of the country. In the past major political figures like Nawaz and Bhutto have colluded with the generals of the Pakistan-military-industrial complex to secure wealth in the country’s government. The real motive has been to protect the military-industrial complex estimated to be worth over US$100 billion, or more than a quarter of Pakistan’s GDP. The Pakistan army and its intelligence service has lost the trust of the voters. General Asim Munir orchestrated Khan’s downfall and to bring back three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from exile, quash his corruption conviction, and repeal his lifetime ban from politics. Pakistan is heading into even more uncharted territory unless the military generals realize that they have lost.
