Imran Khan’s call for protests highlights Pakistan’s woes

Farhan Bokhari 

Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister of Pakistan, has called for an upsurge in protests to mark the first anniversary of the country’s controversial elections on Feb. 8.

The anniversary is a powerful reminder of political divisions in the nuclear-armed nation that are undermining its prospects for a badly needed economic revival and future stability.

Calling the occasion a “black day,” Khan, 74, who shot to fame as a cricket star and philanthropist before becoming Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018, is leading the charge from his prison cell. He has rejected last years’ election results as rigged, an accusation Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his government have denied.

Jailed in the summer of 2023, Khan was last month sentenced to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case. He denies the charges and calls them politically motivated. His wife was also sentenced to prison last month in the same case.

Meanwhile, Sharif’s government faces growing dissent on other fronts. Journalists and their professional bodies have promised to resist recent curbs on social media across the country of 245 million.

The protests from the media follow Sharif’s backing of an extension to existing laws that subject social media offenders to as much as three years’ imprisonment or fines of up to 2 million Pakistani rupees (around $7,000). Critics say the new curbs are the harshest of their kind in the country’s history.

At the same time, questions over human rights conditions in Pakistan have mounted globally, with the European Union recently sharing its concerns in public. In statement after a weeklong visit by Olof Skoog, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Skoog said he highlighted concerns about “freedoms of expression, religion or belief, independence of the media, impunity for rights violations, due process and the right to a fair trial, civic space, and the death penalty” in his meetings with Pakistani officials.

Pakistan relies on the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) for preferential access of its exports to the bloc, and gives central importance to ties with EU for its own economy.

The country’s increasingly troubled environment has coincided with mounting security challenges, from separatists in the southwestern Balochistan province to Afghanistan-based Taliban militants who routinely attack targets in Pakistan. This month, at least 18 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Balochistan in an armed clashes with separatists.

A paramilitary soldier frisks motorbike riders, a day after separatist militants conducted deadly attacks, on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan, in August 2024.   © Reuters

Political, economic and security challenges place Pakistan in a precarious position, notably in three areas.

First, it is apparent that the use of force to crush political dissent has not worked to restore overall stability in Pakistan. The crackdown on Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party since 2023 has led to the arrest of many of his followers.

Yet, as recently as in November, the party mounted a protest in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, and promised more of the same. At the same time, talks between PTI leaders and politicians loyal to Sharif to resolve the dispute peacefully have failed to break fresh ground.

Second, as security conditions deteriorate, Pakistan needs to forge a tight national consensus to create a comprehensive national response to militancy. Going forward, Islamabad needs to reform key institutions responsible for tackling issues that have hampered stability, such as reforming the police and parts of government at the center of its anti-militancy campaign.

Finally, Pakistan’s economy remains beset by a number of pressing issues. These range from the revival of investor confidence over the medium to long term and overseeing a robust recovery, to tackling the poverty that has ensnared almost 40% of the population.

Pakistan last year secured a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund for the next three years, an essential lifeline to avert a default on the country’s foreign debt payments.

But avoiding default with the IMF’s backing will only be a partial step toward stability unless Pakistan can address its political, security, and economic challenges.

With Khan in jail, the PTI will use tomorrow’s anniversary to underscore that Pakistan’s future will remain uncertain unless their leader is freed and allowed to return to active politics.

source : asia.nikkei