Pakistan has often lurched from crisis to crisis over the last 77 years, but over the last two years polarization has deepened in the midst of a political, social and economic malaise. Each actor in Pakistan’s political system wants to escalate tensions to prove their point but in the process is simply leading the country down an abyss.
The PTI’s recent power show, despite the hurdles in its way, seems to have unnerved the ruling coalition. The arrests of the PTI’s top brass reflect a beleaguered administration’s growing desperation. Similarly, the highly inflammatory speech made by the PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and others at their rally has harmed the PTI’s cause.
All this is amidst talk that former prime minister Imran Khan may be tried by a military court for allegedly masterminding the May 9 violence and the attacks on military installations. This is in addition to the arrest and trial of former DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed.
According to author and columnist, Zahid Hussain, “It has been more than 16 months since the May 9 violence erupted after the arrest of Imran Khan. It was seen as a well-planned and highly coordinated attack on military installations across the country including GHQ in Rawalpindi and the corps commander’s house in Lahore. No doubt, the attack on these sensitive security installations was a serious matter.”
However, as Hussain notes, “there has never been any public inquiry conducted into such an important national security matter. Yet it remains a part of the political narrative of the ruling coalition and the establishment against the PTI.”
Hussain argues that “it is imperative that the May 9 incident be probed and the perpetrators punished. But the whole episode raises questions about the failure of the security forces to protect important defence installations. How could a relatively small mob of unarmed people breach security around such sensitive places without any resistance? Why could a motley crowd enter sensitive military premises?”
Hussain concludes by warning “It should also be probed whether there was any link between those officers and the PTI leadership. These questions must be answered. The buck must not stop with them though; the responsibility for such a serious breach of security is also linked with those higher up. Rather than playing politics with the May 9 incident, an independent inquiry must be conducted into this extremely serious security matter.”
