PTI-led Political Protests in Pakistan
Political unrest in Pakistan has been on the rise for several years, tensions reached a boiling point in March 2022 when the joint opposition known as Pakistan’s Democratic Movement (PDM), which included the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League), PPP (Pakistan People’s Party), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and other smaller parties, introduced a no-confidence motion in parliament. As a result, former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who served for over three and a half years, was removed from power in April 2022. Since his removal from power, the ruling coalition has registered 37 cases against Mr. Khan ranging from charges of terrorism and attempted murder to money laundering. Mr. Khan dismisses most of these charges as being baseless and accuses the incumbent government and the US of orchestrating a conspiracy against him, a claim that both parties have denied on numerous occasions.
Consequently, the level of instability and polarisation has intensified, as Mr. Khan has spearheaded a prominent opposition campaign against the current coalition government demanding greater accountability and early national elections. On October 28 2022, Mr. Khan initiated his long march against the government from Lahore intending to arrive in Islamabad on November 4, however, there was an assassination attempt on him in which he sustained bullet injuries. Following the assassination attempt on Mr. Khan and in an effort to push for early elections, his supporters took to the streets in protest.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Mr. Khan, also launched the "Jail Bharo Tehreek" movement in February 2023. The movement aims to fill the jails in response to the sham FIRs and NAB cases, custodial torture, attack on journalists, and delays in announcing fresh elections by the PDM government. The senior PTI leadership stated that the ultimate goal of the movement is to achieve ‘True Freedom’ in Pakistan. However, authorities have suppressed the protest, as Section 144, a colonial-era law that bans gatherings of more than four people in one place, has been imposed in certain areas of Lahore, where Mr. Khan resides.
The government also filed a Toshakhana case against Mr. Khan pertaining to the storing of expensive items, including gifts, received by public servants. In the ongoing case, investigations revealed that Mr. Khan had concealed his asset declarations and details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana. Mr. Khan refuted the allegations, asserting that he had procured the gifts in accordance with the official regulations and had declared them in his tax filings. Nonetheless, two months down the line, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Mr. Khan on charges of "corrupt practices". A non-bailable warrant was issued against him, and he was accused of earning $36 million from selling three watches gifted to him.
Alongside this, in another high-profile case filed by Islamabad Police which pressed terrorism charges against the PTI leader and numerous party workers for their violent protest outside ECP in October last year, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad dismissed Mr. Khan's application to extend his interim bail, resulting in an order for his arrest. On March 13, the Lahore Police arrived at Mr. Khan's residence to arrest him, yet protests erupted in multiple cities across Pakistan, including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Peshawar. These demonstrations were a response to the PTI’s leadership call for nationwide protests in reaction to the government's attempts to arrest its leader.
Supporters of Mr. Khan clashed with police personnel for more than 11 hours to stop them from arresting him, resulting in massive injuries. Police resorted to using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the PTI protesters. Around 100 workers of Mr. Khan were arrested for violating a government ban on public gatherings. Mr. Khan criticised the government's actions and stated that the crackdown is not for the sake of law and order but to avoid elections in the province. In a video message, Mr. Khan stated:
"If something happens to me and I am sent to jail or if I am killed, you have to prove that you will struggle without Imran Khan and not accept the slavery of these thieves and of the one person who has been making decisions for the country."
Since the crackdown, authorities have implemented enhanced security measures in Lahore, particularly in the vicinity of Zaman Park, where Mr. Khan resides. If Mr. Khan is arrested, the likelihood of the demonstrations becoming more intense is even higher as he enjoys popular support in Pakistan. According to a Gallup Pakistan survey titled "Public Pulse Report" published in March 2023, PTI Chairman Mr. Khan received a "positive rating" from 61% of Pakistanis, whereas only 36% had a "good opinion" of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Given the current circumstances, it is highly probable that PTI supporters will organise more protests in the coming days as the present government has shown no willingness to hold elections under any circumstances. This year, Mr. Khan's political party has initiated the process of dissolving the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, in an attempt to coerce the federal government into conducting early elections. However, the ongoing power struggle in Pakistan shows no signs of abating in 2023, with the incumbent government refusing to accede to Mr. Khan's call for early elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had requested 15 billion rupees ($57m) to hold the elections in the two provinces. The government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cited financial constraints and refused to provide the required funds and staff for the elections. Consequently, the elections for the legislative assembly in Punjab, the country's most populous province, which were scheduled for April 30, have been postponed until October 8, as announced by the ECP. Mr. Khan criticized the ECP's decision, stating that it contravened Pakistan's constitution.
The confluence of recent internal political unrest and a catastrophic flooding event has served to intensify the pre-existing economic difficulties of the nation. In recent months, the country has been perilously close to a debt default. Inflation has reached a 48-year high, with the value of the rupee experiencing a sharp decline, and the country's foreign reserves currently standing at a perilously low level of $4.3 billion, barely enough to cover a month's worth of imports. Despite ongoing negotiations for the release of a $1.1 billion loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a deal has yet to be reached, offering no immediate relief. According to reports, Pakistan is expected to repay $73 billion by 2025, which would be impossible without restructuring its debt.
To conclude, Pakistan's political landscape has been marked by heightened tensions and instability since the no-confidence motion introduced in parliament by the joint opposition Pakistan's Democratic Movement (PDM) in March 2022. The situation escalated as Mr. Khan spearheaded an opposition campaign against the current coalition government, demanding greater accountability and early national elections. The ongoing power struggle between the government and opposition parties continues with no signs of abating. The incumbent government has not shown any willingness to hold elections under any circumstances, resulting in enhanced security measures and protests, with PTI supporters organising demonstrations and the government cracking down on public gatherings. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the PTI's protests will lead to meaningful change in the country's political system or further exacerbate its problems.
Image Credits: Suresh Shyamlal Gupta — Edited by GorStra Team