Pakistan’s political landscape has been riddled with insurgencies, dictatorships and corruption for decades. However, in recent years a new political force has emerged in the form of Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
Former national cricket team captain Imran Khan entered politics and founded PTI in 1996. It took him years to build his party’s support base, as he faced many challenges, including lack of funding and voter apathy.
Going forward, in 2018, PTI won the general elections and Imran Khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was the first time that a party other than the traditional political parties came to power through voting. However, Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister was short-lived as he was removed in 2022 through a legitimate no-confidence motion.
Imran Khan’s ouster through a no-confidence motion was a blow to his political career, but it also gave the impression that democracy was on the rise in Pakistan. After his removal, Shahbaz Sharif became the Prime Minister but his tenure was marred by economic depression and rising inflation. The people of Pakistan are frustrated with the government’s inability to control prices and this has led to growing discontent.
Imran Khan demanded that the elections should be held soon and he did not want any delay. His party also dissolved the Assemblies of Punjab and KPK, further exacerbating the political crisis in the country.
Recently the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in favor of Imran Khan and his party PTI and ordered elections. This decision has alarmed the government, there was even an attempt to arrest Imran Khan on Sunday.
Interestingly, Imran Khan has already said that he will become more dangerous after being removed from the post of Prime Minister, but the PDM government did not take his words seriously. Now with the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Imran Khan and the government’s efforts to arrest him, it seems that the politicians of Pakistan are afraid of him.
If it is considered, if the government does not arrest Imran Khan, then the current political crisis can be resolved peacefully. However, if the arrest is carried out, it could lead to further unrest and instability in the country.
The ups and downs in the country’s politics due to PTI in recent years are no less than a scandal. Although Imran Khan’s removal as prime minister was a setback, his party’s recent court victory and the government’s efforts to arrest him show that traditional political parties fear Imran Khan. Even if the future of Pakistani politics is uncertain, Imran Khan’s fear has become clear.
