Imran Khan: Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of Pakistan, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has revealed that more than 1,000 PTI supporters have been detained ahead of protests demanding the release of Khan.
The 73-year-old Imran, who founded the PTI, has been jailed since August 2023. Khan is fighting several cases while still remaining a central figure in the politics of the country.
PTI leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi, the opposition leader in Pakistan’s Punjab assembly, said vehicles of PTI supporters were stopped by Punjab Police from entering Lahore. PTI had planned a protest after Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years each in jail by a Pakistani court in the Toshakhana corruption case.
Imran Khan-The Power Paradox
Pakistan’s military has been the undisputed ruler and arbiter of power, shaping the country’s governments behind the scenes. However, the aggressive campaign of Asim Munir against the PTI has exposed a growing paradox that the coercive control of the establishment no longer guarantees legitimacy.
Despite being jailed and sidelined, Imran has been able to retain massive grassroots popularity, especially among the diaspora and urban youth. Every censorship order, arrest and every televised “confession” strengthens public resentment, which can severely erode the credibility of state institutions.
The Street Factor
The emotional footprint of PTI despite many of its leaders behind bars remains deep on the streets. The May 9 protests that shocked the security apparatus of the country demonstrated how quickly frustration can transform into total chaos.
The examples of Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are before everyone where the voice of the common man emerged ahead of power. Crushing PTI entirely cannot empty the vacuum; it will only create new, potentially more radical forces would enter to fill it.
The Image Abroad
Internationally, the optics are equally damaging. Paksitan is already fighting many battles – economic instability, poverty, inflation, tensions with Afghanistan, Balochistan attacks, human right concerns and diminished investor confidence.
The last thing that Pakistan wants is the country to go beserk against the top establishment or blood on the streets. Nationwide unrest can happen anytime anywhere in Pakistan if good changes don’t happen quickly.
