The line in the sand was crossed. What many thought is the equivalent of the tennis court oath in Versailles or the tossing of tea in Boston harbor has come to pass. What many thought unthinkable happened. Imran Khan, the most popular and populist leader in Pakistan, was arrested. Uproar. Chaos. Pandemonium.
It started on May 9 with Imran once again blaming the ISI chief for the attempt on his life. A few hours later, he was arrested at the Islamabad High Court by paramilitary forces. Protests erupted across Pakistan. People were enraged.
“We warned you not to touch Imran,” one man yelled into the camera as he attacked a military building. Angry and frustrated by galloping inflation and a tanking economy, the masses directed their frustration at the power behind the throne.
The arrest quickly gained international attention. Since Tuesday, many of the leading global publications have been covering the arrest and its aftermath.
“While Pakistani leaders have faced arrest before, never has anyone like Mr. Khan so directly — and with mass popular support — challenged the military, which for decades has been the invisible hand wielding power behind the government,” stated The New York Times.
The state followed the usual playbook: riot police charging protesters, blocking internet data services, clamping down on social media, arresting senior PTI leaders, and imposing section 144 in several cities.
Several people killed, over a thousand arrested. Women manhandled; neighborhoods gassed. The playbook has worked in the past. The State had reason to be confident. After all, how many protested when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged? Its confidence was unfounded.
The arrest which led to so much mayhem was declared illegal by the Supreme Court. Then the Islamabad High Court granted Imran protective bail till May 17. Once again Imran confounded his opponents. Like an experienced hurdle runner he is getting a second wind, breezily jumping over the bars, and gaining speed.
The government looks bamboozled. Statements from ministers and PDM leaders show frustration.
Every time they think they have him pinned Imran manages to rewrite the rules. Look this is Pakistan. You aren’t supposed to name the unnamable. Imran ignored that. In Pakistan we use euphemisms like “angels” or “aliens”. Imran ignored that. How about leaving a backdoor for a strategic retreat? Imran ignored that.
Call it bravery or recklessness, Imran is not interested in just bending rules. He either doesn’t recognise them or is ready to rewrite them. When a journalist commented that it seems it is him versus the security agencies his response was chillingly direct, “It’s not the agencies, its one man: the army chief.” Just a direct response to a direct question.
This is Imran version 2.0. For a man not to the political manor born, he has quickly learned the power of a devasting narrative. Since his ouster in April last year, he has shifted several gears and fine-tuned his attack to pin pointed accuracy. The media cannot have enough of him. He has understood the power of optics.
About to be arrested, he nonchalantly waits for the paramilitary personnel to take him away. In dark sunglasses he looks more like an ageing member of the Rolling Stones. If there is a local picture that comes close to the “smoking and blindfolded before firing squad” trope then this is it.
The opposition looks leaden footed in the face of his fusillades, stumbling from one blunder to another. They arrested him using paramilitary forces. Poor optics. All this for a short stay. Imran is back on the streets, even more defiant. So, so poor.
At this point it seems Imran and the opponents have painted themselves into corners. Imran cannot back down after levelling serious allegations. He has very clearly thrown down the gauntlet and interestingly, he has not lost supporters.
We are in unprecedented times. Never has the military been criticised in this way by the man on the street.
What is the end game? Imran has one demand: elections. According to all signs, he is the most popular political leader in Pakistan.
Given the poor performance of the government and rising economic hardship, it seems obvious that Imran will sweep them. Everyone knows that, even his opponents. They are delaying the elections, but the Supreme Court is proving to be the spoiler.
In this case, it becomes easier to ban Imran or entangle him in cases. They are theories about the easy access to residences and buildings which allowed the protesters to enter and damage property. Many are asking, “Whither the guards?” It did seem almost too simple.
The reason for that is the PTI itself. Imran Khan is more PTI than Louis XIV was France. He is the reason people follow the party. The party’s leadership does not have the same command over the masses. Honest yeoman, they have neither their leader’s charisma nor his fire and brimstone. They did not lead the protests, preferring to huddle together in Islamabad. Revolutions are rarely won from drawing rooms.
In the meantime, Imran is defiant. He has survived an assassination attempt. He has endured arrest. He is battling cases. His opponents have the power of the state, its bureaucracy, and the military. It remains to be seen who will win.
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