Problems unabated

There are no signs yet of a letdown in the multiple domestic problems afflicting Pakistan as Prime Minister Imran Khan, in perhaps a major act of lack of wisdom and political judgment, has opened several fronts which are now haunting him with imminent threats.

His first and foremost act of indiscretion in terms of political short-sightedness is the confrontation with the media. Popular daily Dawn is the latest victim of government highhandedness when its offices in various parts of Pakistan came under a virtual siege evoking protests by the media fraternity. It is widely alleged that the government engineered protest demonstrations against Dawn. These protests were organised in retaliation of the esteemed daily's straightforward coverage naming the London Bridge attacker who killed two innocents and reporting that the assailant was of Pakistan origin. This is true as per the documentation circulated by the London Metropolitan Police. The Pakistani military establishment took umbrage in the killer being labelled as a Pakistani by 'Dawn' and in collaboration with other government agencies, held protest rallies targeting Dawn.

Editor in Chief of Dawn, Zafar Abbas, reacting to anti-Dawn protests, criticised the government for curbing press freedom which looks imperilled at this juncture. He further alleged that several Dawn staffers were held as hostages by government-supported elements. In an apparent bid to mobilise public opinion and sympathy in favour of popular newspaper Dawn, Abbas called the people to shun silence when the press was attacked, be it Geo news or Dawn.

Pro Press lobbies in Pakistan have started highlighting the fact the country is reeling under a Media censorship, quoting several instances when a number of TV telecast outlets received mysterious phone calls to stop airing news which was inconvenient to the government, especially to the military. Such allegations against the imposition of harsher actions against media are seen to be winning public sympathy, adding to Imran Khan's already existing internal problems. Analysts feel that very soon the Pakistani Prime Minister would find his plate overly full in handling issues plaguing his country.

Another problem which seems to threaten the Prime Minister's copious absence of political shrewdness is his inept handling of the General Qamar Bajwa extension case while raising questions on the Prime Minister and the Army Chief's bonafide. Noted Pakistani journalist Nazam Sethi of Friday Times doubts if a simple two-thirds majority in the Parliament will suffice to produce the desired result in the Bajwa extension case. Simultaneously, it is equally uncertain if the government will be able to garner support/ cooperation of the opposition to amend the constitution by a two-thirds majority. Either way, things as they stand now, look fragile and are a real political challenge for Imran Khan. Meanwhile, an idea is gaining currency amongst the civil population that Army Chief Gen Bajwa should have resigned of his own volition, saving the country the embarrassment caused by the Supreme Court judgment.

Knowledgeable quarters in Pakistan claim that the government is ready with the draft for effecting changes in the Army Act and the committee looking into it has two members, Asad Umar and Shah Mehmood Quereshi that are generally known to be close to the military establishment. So, it is the army which seems to be calling the shots making Imran's problems more complex. In the meantime, Maulana Fazlur Rahman's confident claims and apparent prediction that Imran Khan would be ousted in the month of December itself and his call for fresh elections and early convening of the new parliament session have been unsettling for Imran, who is often seen in a huddle with his so-called advisors seeking solutions. Former Senator, Farhatullah Babar in one of his analytical columns has been categorical in stating that Imran Khan is fighting a losing battle.

Imran Khan has also come under severe criticism for appointing a retired General as the Chief Executive of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and for initiating Pervez Musharraf's treason case for deferment. Imran, on his part, perhaps thought he was doing the right thing but things don't look promising at all. December 17 has been proclaimed to be the date of the verdict on Musharraf's case and according to the recent body language of Peshawar High Court Chief Justice, Waqar Ahmed who is heading the bench on Musharraf's case, things may look bad for the former despot and either way, it would be a serious task for Imran. Imran's amateurish handling of the case related to Nawaz Sharif's movement to London for medical treatment is being debated with suspicion and political immaturity on the decision-making capacity of the Prime Minister.

These in house problems notwithstanding, Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amrinder Singh, while addressing the audience gathered at the Punjab Prosperity Investor's Summit (PPIS) on December 5, warned Pakistan and the undesirable elements in the state of Punjab against any attempt to destabilise Punjab which according to him was flourishing with industries. His tenor was full of aggression and no no-nonsense attitude which gave a strong message to Pakistan and its ISI to keep off from any misadventures in Punjab.

Punjab CM further asserted that 28 Pakistan-sponsored terror modules have been busted and at least 100 Pakistan-backed militants have been arrested by the Punjab police. Such rhetoric at regular intervals exposing Pakistan seems imperative to keep it and its activities in check.

Shantanu Mukharji is a retired IPS officer, a security analyst and a former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mauritius. Views expressed are strictly personal