#PTI party

[jaatanilsolanki]

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption Charges Amid Nationwide Protests

[xtruss]

“Pakistan’s Corrupt to their Cores Army Generals, Politicians, Election Commission and Judges” Can Keep Imran Khan Out of Power, but It Can’t Keep His Popularity Down

— By Charlie Campbell | January 17, 2024 | Time Magazine

Supporters of PTI, the Most Popular Political Party of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, rally against the national election commission’s decision to ban the party’s cricket bat symbol, in Karachi on Jan. 14, 2024. Fareed Khan—AP

It’s not been a great couple of years for Pakistan’s Imran Khan. Since his ouster as Prime Minister in an April 2022 no-confidence vote, the cricketer-turned-politician has been shot, hit with over 180 charges ranging from rioting to terrorism, and jailed in a fetid nine-by-11-foot cell following an Aug. 5 corruption conviction for allegedly selling state gifts. As Pakistan approaches fresh elections on Feb. 8, the 71-year-old’s chances of a comeback appear gossamer thin, despite retaining broad public support.

Pakistan’s military kingmakers are using every trick at their disposal to sideline the nation’s most popular politician and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Over recent months, thousands of PTI workers have been arrested, dozens of party leaders resigned following lengthy interrogations, Khan’s name was banned from mainstream media, and constituency boundary lines were redrawn to allegedly benefit his opponents. Khan’s own nomination papers have also been rejected.

“Elections are being held but I’ve got serious doubts whether real democracy or democratic principles are being followed,” says Samina Yasmeen, director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at the University of Western Australia.

And now Khan won’t even have his cricket bat.

On Monday, Khan’s PTI party was banned from using its iconic cricket bat logo on ballot papers, significantly hampering its chances amongst an electorate which is up to 40% illiterate. Most crucially, it effectively bans the PTI as a party and means its candidates will likely have to stand as independents, who will reportedly use a range of symbols ranging from a rollercoaster to a goat. “The election symbol is an integral component of fair elections,” Raoof Hasan, PTI’s principal spokesman and a former special assistant to Khan, tells TIME. “It’s rendering the party toothless.”

Pakistani lawmakers are constitutionally obliged to vote along party lines for certain key matters, including the leader of the house and financial legislation. But if PTI-backed candidates are officially independents, they are under no such constraints, making it much easier for the opposition to cobble together a coalition by targeting individuals with inducements. Additionally, PTI will be ineligible to receive its rightful proportion of the 200-odd parliamentary “reserved seats” for women and minorities that are allocated according to a party’s proportion of the overall vote, which would instead be divvied out to the other registered parties.

Imran Khan Waves a Cricket Bat, the Election Symbol of His Pakistan’s Most Popular PTI Party, during a rally in Faisalabad on May 5, 2013. Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images

Then again, even registering as independents has not been easy for the PTI. Each candidate must file their nomination in the constituency where they intend to stand, but PTI’s candidates frequently find their nomination papers snatched from their hands by shadowy security personnel. To avoid this, the PTI has taken to dispatching several candidates with nomination papers in the hope that one might break through the security cordon.

But even if one does manage to submit papers, each candidate requires a proposer and seconder to attend the nomination in person. On many occasions, a PTI candidate has presented his papers only to find either or both has abruptly been “kidnapped,” says Hasan, meaning that an alleged 90% of its candidates’ nomination papers have been rejected. “This is massive pre-poll rigging.”

The hurdles facing Khan and PTI stand in stark contrast to the lot dealt to Nawaz Sharif, three-time former Prime Minister, who was most recently ousted for corruption in 2017 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In 2018, Sharif traveled to London on bail for medical treatment but absconded and remained a fugitive in exile. But on Oct. 21, an apparently healthy Sharif returned to Pakistan, where his corruption conviction was swiftly quashed and last week his lifetime ban from politics also overturned. On Monday, Sharif, 74, launched his campaign to return as Prime Minister for a fourth time—much to the chagrin of disenfranchised PTI supporters.

“The temperature is going to rise in the next few weeks when candidates step out to do rallies,” Khan’s sister, Aleema, tells TIME. “There’s going to be anger on the streets.”

It’s no secret that Pakistan’s military kingmakers have thrown their support behind Sharif, which ultimately means he’s a shoo-in to return to power. But Khan’s enduring popularity means more heavy-handed tactics will be required. Despite all PTI’s headwinds, and extremely patchy governance record while in power, a Gallup opinion poll from December shows the imprisoned Khan’s approval ratings stand at 57%, compared to 52% for Sharif. PTI remains confident that they will win if allowed to compete in a fair fight.

“People, especially at the grassroot level, are very pro-Imran Khan,” says Yasmeen. “Even if he tells them to vote for a piece of furniture, it will be elected.”

Corrupt to His Core, Thief, Looter, Traitor, Money Launderer, Morally Bankrupted Boak Bollocks and Pakistan Army’s Production Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses his supporters in Lahore on Oct. 21, 2023. Aamir Qureshi—AFP/Getty Images

A big question is why the international community has been so muted in the face of such brazen irregularities—especially the U.S., which under the Joe Biden administration claims to have made democracy promotion a key foreign policy priority. The stakes are high; nuclear-armed Pakistan is drowning in $140 billion of external debt, while ordinary people are battling with Asia’s highest inflation, with food prices rising 38.5% year-on-year.

The truth is that Khan has few friends in the West after prioritizing relations with Russia and China. “From a Washington perspective, anyone would be better than Khan,” says Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Sharif, by contrast, is perceived as business-friendly and pro-America. Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington’s foreign policy priorities have shifted to China, Ukraine, and now Gaza. Yet the importance of a trusted partner in Islamabad was made plain this week following an Iranian airstrike on alleged Sunni militants in Pakistan territory that killed at least two children and threatens a further escalation of the violence already roiling the Middle East.

American priorities in Pakistan are keeping a lid on terrorism and stabilizing relations with arch-nemesis India—and Sharif has a better record on both. However, these priorities aren’t necessarily shared by Pakistan’s military overlords, who may be backing Sharif today but have engineered his ouster thrice in the past—once via a coup d’état. There remains “a lot of bad blood between Nawaz and the military,” says Kugelman, “even if he were to become the next Prime Minister, civil-military relations could take the same turn for the worse.”

After all, no Pakistan Prime Minister has ever completed a full term—and if Sharif gets back in, few would bet on him becoming the first at the fourth time of asking. It may be part of the reason why Khan has adopted a stoic disposition despite the deprivations of his prison cell. “He is cold in jail but quite happy,” says Aleema Khan. “He’s read so many books, maybe two to three every day, and he’s very content to have this retreat time—spiritually, mentally, and physically, he says he feels better.”

Perhaps content in the knowledge that, while February’s election may be beyond hope, in Pakistan you may be down, but you’re never truly out. And that’s all the more reason to keep fighting. “We shall be in the election,” says Hasan. “We’re not going to back off, we’re not going to walk away, we’re not going to forfeit even a single seat throughout the country.”

[instamods]

Pakistan general election 2024. we are covering complete results of all provinces of pakistan.

[paknewsinsightspk]

" The PTI delegation will meet the party founder in Adiala Jail. " | PAK News Insights

” RAWALPINDI: A five-member delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is scheduled to visit Adiala Jail tomorrow morning to meet the founder of the party, ARY News reported on Friday. The meeting is scheduled at 8 am during which PTI leaders will discuss the draft constitutional amendment. One of the key leaders, Ali Zafar, had requested permission from the government to meet the founder,…

[vague-humanoid]

Israel Violates Lebanon Ceasefire Over 100 Times, Middle East Still at Breaking Point

Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, joins the show to break down the escalating tensions in the Middle East. From the resurgence of terrorist groups in Syria to the unraveling ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and the ongoing US-backed genocide in Gaza—Cafiero unpacks the latest developments and their far-reaching implications.

Belgian MP and Workers’ Party leader Peter Mertens joins the show to discuss his new book, Mutiny: How Our World is Tilting. Mertens analyzes the current global political moment—highlighting the decline of Western hegemony, China's rise as a superpower, and the growing influence of the Global South through alliances like BRICS—showing how these shifts are reshaping global power dynamics and opening new possibilities for the Left.

Dae-Han Song, with the International Strategy Center and a member of the No Cold War collective, explains South Korea’s escalating political crisis as President Yoon Suk Yeol faces growing calls for his resignation after declaring—and then rescinding—emergency martial law to target so-called “pro-North Korean forces.” Hong discusses the motives behind Yoon’s decree and how Korean people are rising up to fight for true democracy and sovereignty.

Alex Anfruns Millán, journalist and author of Niger: Another Coup D’État… or the Pan-African Revolution?, discusses the seismic shifts in the Sahel following the anti-colonial uprisings that swept the region. Millán explains how, one year after the popular uprising that ousted the French military, Niger and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) are forging a new path away from US-French control.

Professor Junaid S. Ahmad, Director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Decolonization in Islamabad, discusses last week’s massive protests in Pakistan, where despite a total lockdown, hundreds of thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters marched on the capital demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Ahmad will discuss how despite extreme repression, Pakistanis continue to rally in defense of Khan and mobilize against the country’s US-backed authoritarian military regime.

[stillnaomi]

The Pakistan Army planned to carry out a lethal crackdown on supporters of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan in November, according to a source inside the Pakistan Army, confirmed by a second source with knowledge of the planning.

The revelations of the government's multi-stage plan, which included a communications blackout, snipers, tear-gas armed soldiers, strategic blockades in the heart of Islamabad, and the use of live ammunition, shows the level of alarm Pakistan's military government feels about supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) party. Yet at the same time, the chilling details revealed by the source, who we are providing anonymity due to the likelihood of reprisal, along with the government's repeated denials of the details of its operation, suggests it remains confident in its ability to crush dissent and break the back of the pro-PTI movement. A second source with knowledge of the planning independently confirmed the outlines of the Army source’s information.

On November 26, Khan had called for demonstrations in Islamabad, the capital city. Heeding his call, thousands of PTI supporters from around the country descended on Islamabad, crossing all hurdles and removing cargo containers placed in their way, while confronting internet shutdowns and tear gas shelling.

... In the run-up to the protests, the Pakistani government shut down social media apps like WhatsApp and called the military into the capital, giving it blanket shoot-on-sight powers.

[workersolidarity]

🇵🇰 ���

INTERFERENCE AT THE POLLS RECORDED BY PAKISTANI VOTERS IN 2024 GENERAL ELECTION

📹 Scenes of interference by the Pakistani military in Thursday's contentious Pakistan General Elections to intimidate PTI supporters out of voting for their preferred candidates.

Protests have since broken out across Pakistan as PTI supports hit the streets to demand an end to the persecution of Imran Khan and his PTI party.

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[the-eyespy]

🇵🇰 PTI rally targeted in Sibi, Balochistan. The Pakistani Army appears to be focusing on Imran Khan's party across various regions.

[beardedmrbean]

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police Monday fired tear gas canisters at supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop them from entering the capital, where they hoped to stage a sit-in to demand his release, officials said.

The firing of tear gas came shortly after demonstrators — who traveled 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the restive northwest — began arriving and gathering near Islamabad. They defied a lockdown, previous tear gas and widespread arrests despite a ban on rallies in the city.

The development came a day after the leadership of Khan’s party went ahead with the “long march” even as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday evening.

Authorities said at least one police officer was killed and several officers and demonstrators were injured in clashes. The marchers appeared determined to enter Islamabad, where the lockdown, which has been in place for two days, has disrupted daily life.

The government was in talks with Khan's party to avoid any further violence, officials said.

Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.

A convoy of vehicles carrying protesters was expected to enter the capital Monday night. Security officials say they expect between 9,000 and 11,000 demonstrators, while the PTI says the number will be much higher.

Video on social media showed Khan supporters donning gas masks and protective goggles.

Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning back from areas along the key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab province, where shipping containers were used to block roads.

Video circulating online showed some protesters operating heavy machinery to remove the containers.

“We are determined, and we will reach Islamabad, though police are using tear gas to stop our march,” PTI senior leader Kamran Bangash told The Associated Press. “We will overcome all hurdles one by one, and our supporters are removing shipping containers from roads."

Bangash also said Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was recently released on bail in a graft case, will lead the march along with Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party remains in power.

Earlier, almost 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Islamabad, Bibi, wearing a white head-to-toe burqa, addressed protesters while sitting in a truck, urging them to remain determined to achieve their goal and free Khan. She then chanted, “God is great” and left.

Khan’s main political opponent, Sharif, heads the current government.

Sharif’s spokesperson, Attaullah Tarar, said on Sunday that whenever any high-profile foreign delegation comes to Pakistan, the PTI “begins the politics of long marches and onslaught on Islamabad to harm the economy.”

Some economists say protests cause billions of rupees in damages to the country's fragile economy.

Protesters on Sunday night burned trees as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. Khan supporters retaliated by using slingshots and pelting security personnel with rocks.

In a bid to foil the protest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns,” which the PTI said affected its call on social media for a protest. On Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested.

Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023.

Khan has been sentenced in several cases. His convictions were later overturned on appeal but he cannot be freed due to other pending cases against him.

[tadlonousvoila]

l'aventure commence...

Encore une belle idée qui s'est lancée un dimanche 29 décembre 2022: on retourne voir Loic à Tad Lo ?

En 20 min, on avait le nombre de participants et la date n'avait plus qu'à être confirmé.Gros engouement: Titi, Fred, Karine, Loic, Jacques, Rose et moi, une belle gang pour retourner voir la Fandee famille du 21 octobre 2024 au 1 novembre 2024.23 mois pour économiser...plusieurs propositions: un chouthon; la grille de loto???...en vrai: petit écureuil, tu feras!!!

Un an plus tard, les billets sont pris pour chacun...sauf pour moi, à cette période là, j'espérais ne pas partir et réaliser un autre projet.Malheureusement, la vie ne m'a pas permis de réaliser mon rêve, mais m'a ouvert d'autres opportunités: partager ce magnifique voyage avec les copains, j'ai donc pris mon billet en juin (merci frangin de m'y avoir encouragé.)...et c'est de là que l'aventure a commencé...On a tous pris des billets différents, les départs se sont fait de manière différés...

Jeudi 17 octobre 2024...Titi et Fred sont partis pour le Cambodge et nous rejoindront aux 4000 îles directement.La p'te famille prépare ses bagages: full equipent pour le 1er voyage des loulous...Moi, j'ai pris la route au départ de Carpentras; la fille qui part 15j sans bagages?!; du coup,passage par Lille et merci à Karine et Chou de me prendre mes affaires ;D...Loic de son côté prépare notre arrivée (bien vu l'investissement de la cible).

Vendredi, les premiers sont bien arrivés. Nous, on fête les vacances au champagne.

Samedi, 2ème départ 8h30...les yeux collés, Karine, Loic, Jacques et Rose sont montés dans l'avion...une halte à Singapour et on se retrouvera à Bangkok.

Pour ma part, le vol étant un peu plus tard, j'ai pris l'option flixbus pour ne pas arriver trop tôt à l'aéroport..Mais voilà, 45 min après le départ, le chauffeur s'arrête sur les bandes d'arrêt d'urgence et en remontant, il nous annonce avoir perdu une pièce, il va nous mettre en sécurité à la prochaine station essence et nous allons devoir attendre le dépanneur...

L'expérience veut que j'ai appelé directement Loulou qui est venu me chercher et m'accompagner à l'aéroport (chanceuse!); je suis arrivée dans les temps, le bus,quant à lui, est toujours à la station essence!Le temps de traverser l'aéroport est me voilà dans l'avion.. je vous avoue que je me réjouissais de me faire payer l'apero par Austrian Airlines, mais je monte dans un pti coucou et ce sera plutôt verre d'eau et carré de chocolat...mouais..jcroise les doigts pour le prochain vol...

Petite pause d'une heure à Vienne...espérant dormir sur le prochain vol...à l'arrivée les copains!

[warningsine]

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/protesters-block-train-tracks-buses-eastern-india-2024-08-28/

KOLKATA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters blocked train tracks, halted buses and shouted slogans in India's state of West Bengal on Wednesday in the latest demonstration following the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in the eastern state, called for a 12-hour state-wide protest strike after police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse a march on Tuesday.

Most of Wednesday's protesters were BJP workers, who also forced shops to shut, as authorities braced for more disruptions, with one police official saying 5,000 officers had been deployed to quell any violence.

Thousands of doctors, many of them on strike since the Aug. 9 crime was discovered, marched in the state's capital of Kolkata, demanding justice for the victim and better workplace safety for doctors.

"If the state government had powers to make laws, I would have made a law in seven days that would mandate capital punishment in incidents of rape," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told a rally.

Banerjee, a staunch political foe of Modi who has promised swift justice, appealed to the striking doctors to return to work, expressing sympathy for victims of sexual violence and their families.

Many university students were among Tuesday's protesters, who had called for Banerjee's resignation over her handling of the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor in a government-run hospital in Kolkata.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu said she was "dismayed and horrified" by the incident.

"No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities," broadcaster CNN News 18 quoted Murmu, a constitutional figurehead, as telling news agency PTI in her first comments on the crime. "Enough is enough."

The nationwide outrage unleashed by the attack was similar to that which followed the 2012 gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi, but campaigners said tougher laws had not deterred sexual violence against women.

[serieapocalyptiquedecass]

Episode 1 - Partie 6

Pti gars protectif

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Début de l'épisode | Précédent | Version Anglaise | Prochain

Masterpost

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Tout les droits pour ce comics appartiennent à Cass

[lespoulesebreizh]

landevennec/ Le Fret

Landevennec/ Le Fret

Ce matin, les yeux sont tout collants de fatigue.

La veille malgré nos recherches, on nous avait dit pas de pain( fallait réserver la veille au matin), ni de café ouvert avant 10h30 au village; on était sur le camping municipal géré par mr le maire en personne: un homme qui a bien 80 ans, fait le tour le matin et vient noter dans son carnet qui a dormi là la nuit.

Donc après le pointage de Monsieur le maire, on est partit à l épicerie communale chercher de quoi manger pour ce matin et ce midi... une expérience matinale sans café à vivre...ou pas: un autre Monsieur, d un âge bien avancé, qui est perdu dans ses commandes et semble dépasser par le nombre de personnes dans son épicerie...

Nous n'avons pas compris, mais on a eu le droit à une baguette non réservée la veille ?! Sachant que nous allions rien croiser dans la journée, on l'a pris!

On s'avance pour aller manger notre bout de pain face à l'église et là un pti café/hôtel où ça sent mamie quand tu rentres.. merci mamie sauveuse pour tes cafés!

Aujourd'hui, parce qu'on est devenues des vraies sportives ou simplement parce qu'on est des dingues, on fait 2 étapes en une. En réalité, on avait prévu 8km le samedi matin avant de reprendre le bateau, mais on sait dit si on pousse un peu aujourd'hui, demain on sentira bon dans le train!

Alors, on retrouve notre GR34 et nous voilà parties pour 25km!

On a essentiellement traversé des bois...où les traces de la tempête sont encore bien présentes et où parfois la terre est encore fort boueuse...

[xtruss]

All That’s Left For Them Now Is To Murder Me – But I’m Not Afraid To Die! The Former Pakistani Prime Minister Writes Exclusively For The Telegraph From His Prison Cell

— BY IMRAN KHAN | 2 May, 2024 | The Telegraph

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently serving a prison sentence for controversial corruption charges. Credit: AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary

Today, Pakistan and its people stand in confrontation with each other. Almost two years ago, an engineered vote of no confidence was moved against my government and a government cobbled together by the military establishment came into being.

Since then, the Corrupt Military Establishment, under direct guidance of General Asim Munir, The Corrupt Chief of Army Staff, has tried every tactic to decimate my party’s presence from the political environment of Pakistan.

The oppression, torture and denial of our election symbol have been extensively documented, but nothing has worked for the military and the powerless civilian leadership acting as its puppets.

Pakistan’s general elections on Feb 8 2024, showed the utter failure of their design.

With no single electoral symbol in a country where the vast majority of voters are guided by a party symbol, the people came out and voted overwhelmingly for candidates supported by my party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), despite standing as “independents” with a host of diverse symbols.

This democratic revenge by the people of Pakistan against the agenda of the military establishment not only was a national defiance by the people but also a complete rejection of the official state narrative of May 9 2023, when PTI supporters were falsely accused – as a pretext for a crackdown – of attacking military installations.

Pakistan's Corrupt to his Core Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir (left) shakes hand with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi CREDIT: Inter Services Public Relations via AP

Unfortunately, instead of accepting the people’s mandate, the military establishment went into a fit of rage and electoral results were manipulated to bring into power the losers.

The same vote tampering was seen in the recent by-elections.

As a result, today Pakistan is at a dangerous crossroads. The people have shown in no uncertain terms their rejection of state electoral machinations and of the oppression, incarceration and torture of not just the PTI leadership but also of its workers.

The military leadership has been subjected to overt criticism at a level unseen before in our history. The government is a laughing stock.

More Oppression and Violence

The response of the state has been to unleash more oppression and violence not just on party workers but also on journalists and human rights defenders. Social media restrictions have been put in place with a complete ban on the X platform.

Perhaps the most ominous development has been the systematic attempt to destroy the independent functioning of the judiciary at all levels.

Judges have been subjected to all manner of pressures including blackmail and harassment of family members. As a result, our trials on false charges are conducted with no proper defence allowed and no concern for the law of the land and the constitution.

The Corrupt Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and of the Islamabad High Court have been found short of delivering unbiased justice.

But members of the senior judiciary have risen against the attempted destruction of the independence of the judiciary. Six brave judges of the Islamabad High Court have written a letter to the CJP highlighting instances of harassment and blackmail including of their families by intelligence agencies. Specific instances are cited and details given.

This is unprecedented in our history – although, informally, many knew what was happening to the senior judiciary but for such a letter to have come from these judges shows the level of despair, anger and frustration.

The sorry state of judicial affairs is reflected in the hesitancy shown by the CJP, who eventually felt compelled to act but instead of calling for a full bench hearing of the supreme court and summoning those named by the six judges, he has sought to put the six judges effectively in the dock.

With an economy in crisis, spiralling prices and a people politically angry at having their electoral mandate stolen and being economically beleaguered, the state stands isolated.

Unwilling to mitigate its grave errors which have led Pakistan to this precarious juncture and unable to go beyond its mantra of oppression and violence against critics, the State is treading the same path it trod in 1971, when it lost East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

Upsurge in Terrorism

At the same time, it is seeing an upsurge in terrorism and a growing alienation in Balochistan where the issue of enforced disappearances is growing in severity. On Pakistan’s borders, India has already admitted to undertaking assassinations inside of Pakistan and the international border with Afghanistan remains volatile.

The military establishment’s expectation of unquestioning support from the US, in return for the provision of access to airspace and related facilities to the US for military purposes, has been punctured after the publication of the latest US state department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices which highlights the many human rights violations in Pakistan.

Again, seeking salvation by relying on support from the International Monetary Fund when there is a confrontation with the people will not result in any stability for Pakistan. There is no other way out of the crisis but to restore the people’s mandate and release all political prisoners including those being held for trial under military courts. The constitutional functioning of state institutions must be restored.

“The Corrupt Military Establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now ‘Murder Me’. I have stated publicly that if anything happens to me or my wife, Corrupt General Asim Munir will be responsible. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death over slavery.”

— Imran Khan is the leader of the Pakistan-Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) party. He is serving a prison sentence for controversial corruption charges.