Pakistan’s political crisis does not seem to end soon. The matter is now in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is now responsible for the validity and interpretation of the Article of the Constitution citing which the opposition’s motion of no confidence was rejected and the way the Imran Khan government recommended the dissolution of the National Assembly. In such a situation, what the army will do now, it will also be a matter to be seen.
The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened. Soon after the opposition’s no-confidence motion in the National Assembly was rejected, the President dissolved the National Assembly on the recommendation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The opposition went to the Supreme Court. There is talk of new elections in the country within three months. If there was a vote on the no-confidence motion in the circumstances, then the Imran Khan government would certainly have fallen. Imran had understood this, so he chose another path. However, experts are calling the move of both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly unconstitutional. Therefore, now all eyes are on the Supreme Court of Pakistan on this matter.
If seen, instead of bowing before the opposition and other forces, Imran Khan considered it more appropriate to go among the public. The opposition was assuming that Imran would go and he would get power. But now the contest will not be easy for the opposition in the election field. However, the relations between the army and Imran Khan were showing turmoil for some time. In fact, as has been the nature of Pakistan’s politics, it would not be wrong to say that no government there can stay in power without the consent of the army.
This time Imran Khan has opened a direct front against America. Russia and China are very happy with this. But the army does not want to distance itself from America at any cost. It is worth noting that in the recent Islamabad Security Dialogue, Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa clearly said that Pakistan’s relations with Russia have been cold for a long time, while America has been a long-time strategic ally of Pakistan. Bajwa’s statement is in stark contrast to Imran Khan’s stand on America. Imran Khan is openly accusing America that it is trying to remove him from power.
Today, of course, Imran Khan has opened a front against America, but when he himself was sitting on a dharna in Islamabad during the prime ministership of Nawaz Sharif, he was also doing all this at the behest of the army and America. Today Imran is cursing America. Who can forget that Imran Khan had praised military dictator Pervez Musharraf, even though he knew that Musharraf had approved the US drone strikes in the tribal areas of Pakistan. During Musharraf’s tenure, there were attacks by American drones on Pashtun tribal areas and a large number of people were killed.
It is also true that while Prime Minister Imran Khan also made all efforts to make better relations with America. But the US administration did not give them the cooperation they wanted. There is also a fact that when Nawaz Sharif became closer to China after coming to power in 2013, America got very angry with him. It was during Sharif’s tenure that the Sino-Pak Economic Corridor was negotiated and then the work started. Then Imran Khan made allegations of corruption in this project. It is said that Imran Khan was making these allegations at the behest of the same external force, which he himself is accusing today of destabilizing his government. Actually, Imran Khan has found it costly to increase his closeness with Russia during the Ukraine war.
It is necessary to understand the political culture of Pakistan in the midst of all such vicissitudes happening in the politics. The first feature of the political culture of Pakistan is the overwhelming influence of the military on political parties. The second feature is the occupation of big landlords and industrialists in Pakistani politics. But the third feature of the political culture here has been the overturning of small and strong influential politicians and parties from Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh over time. These parties and politicians have been playing a big role in changing the power.
They have the support of the army. In the last three to four decades, no matter who is in power, these small parties have been living with power. During the crisis on the Imran Khan government, three politicians and parties were in discussion. The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) operating in Pakistani Punjab, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) operating in Sindh and the rebel Jahangir Tarin faction of Imran Khan’s own party were discussed during the current political crisis. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) is a split from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a party of Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated from India.
It has a strong influence in some urban areas of Sindh, especially in the city of Karachi. Since the 1990s, the party has cooperated with the ruling party in Pakistan, regardless of the party in power. This party also had a wonderful rapport with military dictator Pervez Musharraf. It was enjoying power even with Imran Khan’s party and as soon as it got a chance, rebelled and joined the opposition. It is said that the MQM (P) played this game at the behest of the army. Jahangir Khan also became a big problem for Imran Khan. They are big businessmen. They have their own sugar mills to airlines.
Active in the politics of Pakistan, Jahangir Tarin is an expert in running with power. When he realized that Imran Khan could gain power in Pakistan, he became his ally. But he did not get along with the Chief Minister of Punjab and Imran Khan’s special Usman Buzdar and he went on a revolt. The history of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) operating in Pakistani Punjab has also been the same.
The Muslim League (Q), a party led by Parvez Elahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, is close to the army. The two brothers should always be with the power, irrespective of who was in power. When Imran Khan came in trouble, both of them put pressure on Imran to get the chair of the Chief Minister of Punjab. First he intimidated Imran Khan and when Imran Khan agreed to give him the chief minister’s chair, he again joined him.
Pakistan’s political crisis does not seem to end soon. The matter is now in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is now responsible for the validity and interpretation of the Article of the Constitution citing which the opposition’s motion of no confidence was rejected and the way the Imran Khan government recommended the dissolution of the National Assembly. In such a situation, what the army will do now, it will also be a matter to be seen.
Pakistan’s political crisis will also affect Russia and China. What stand Russia and China take in the midst of this political crisis is no less important. America may be saying that it has nothing to do with Pakistan’s crisis, but it is a fact that Imran Khan has dragged America into political controversy. Indeed, American interference in the internal affairs of Latin America to Asian countries is well known. In such a situation, if Imran succeeds in his plan, then it will be a huge defeat for America in Asian diplomacy.