The PTI’s incarcerated founding chairman Imran Khan’s “anti-establishment” or “against state” narrative is so far going unstoppable, both in the legal battle and among the public.
The state-sponsored cases against the PTI’s leadership are slipping down one after the other. Khan is proving himself more troublesome every day and has brought the situation to difficult point.
Given the situation it looks that framing more case against him or his party is not going to work anymore when there is a tension going on between the judiciary and the military establishment. Khan is being relieved by the courts and his success in the legal battle is selling his anti-establishment narrative more successfully.
However, given the recent developments there are also question on the competence and capability of the state, the direction of the courts, the choices left to the establishment and the reaction of the international community. The courts are providing relief, the PTI is getting harsher to the establishment every day, and the government is busy framing new cases. All it will further aggravate the situation in Pakistan.
Starting from the question to the international community’s response it looks like America is conveying a message between the lines. For whom is this message? It is best known to the revilement in this matter. The United States (US) Department of State yesterday said that Pakistani courts only hold the authority to determine Khan’s cases. Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the decision on legal action against Khan rests with Pakistani courts, but important was to consider relevant circumstances and context in such matters. He said Pakistani courts only have jurisdiction over these matters.
The IHC today ordered to de-seal the PTI’s office in Islamabad. This was among the smallest cases the government could frame against the PTI, but even in it, the government failed to establish its argument. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on May 24 sealed this office in Sector G-84 of the federal capital for violating building by-laws. It was said that the sealing of this office came as part of the CDA’s crackdown on illegal constructions. Some part of this office was also demolished. The PTI was alleged for constructing an additional floor on the plot in violation of the building by-laws. PTI challenged this action of the government in the IHC and today’s decision ordered the government to immediately de-seal the office in question. It marked another failure of the government in which it claimed that several notices to the PTI were issued regarding this matter.
IHC suspends convention of Khan awarded under the cipher case.
The IHC acquitted Imran Khan and his former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a cipher case. The court suspended the 10-year sentence conviction of Khan and Qureshi. A special court on January 30, awarded this sentence to both Khan and Qureshi for violating the Official Secrets Act.
This case originated from Khan’s public display of a paper during a rally in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, claiming it as evidence of an international conspiracy against the dislodge of his government through vote of no-confidence. In August, both Khan and Qureshi were charged under sections 5 and 9 of the said acts – OSA. The state initiated this case asserting that national security and sovereignty are paramount and will not be compromised under any circumstances. The IHC noted that the speeches delivered by Imran and Qureshi at a public rally in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, in which Khan waved the cipher copy appeared to be political. It was a high-profile case but the state lost on this front against Khan.
The IHC suspended Khan’s conviction under the Toshakhana reference case.
The state again faced defeat against Khan in the NAB reference case. The Toshakhana case was against Khan and his wife. The IHC in April suspended the 14-year sentences handed out to both Khan and his wife by an accountability court.
The court barred them from holding any public office for 10 years and slapped them with a fine of Rs. 787 million each. The NAB framed this case in December stating that Khan and his wife retained a jewelry set having received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment. The former first lady also challenged a government’s notification that declared her Banigala residence as a sub-jail following the verdict in Toshakhana case. The Court dismissed this notification leaving the government face defeat.
IHC granted bail to Khan in 190-million-pound case. Last month the IHC granted bail to Khan a 190-million-pound corruption case that the NAB framed against him. The accusation in his case states that Khan and his wife acquired significant amounts of money and land from Bahira Town Limited in exchange for legitimizing Rs. 50 billion, which was identified and repatriated by the UK government dissatisfaction when Khan was prime minister. It states that Mr. Khan played a major role in the illicit transfer of funds that were the property of the state of Pakistan.
Iddat case is another case against Khan and Bushra Bibi that was likely to meet its fate two days ago.
In this case both Khan and his wife were awarded seven years imprisonment. The verdict on the appeals of Khan and Bushra Bibi against their conviction was scheduled to be announced two days earlier, but the complainant of this case expressed dissatisfaction over the court. for this reason, now the IHC at the request of the sessions court has shifted it to another other court. the petitioners are likely to receive relief in this case too.
May 9 riots cases.
There were a number of cases registered against Khan and PTI’s leadership under May 9 riots and an earlier sit. The PTI is also being granted relief under such case. The military establishment almost for five times has expressed that the commissioners, abettors and facilitators of May 9 would not be tolerated at any cost, but in these cases too the PTI’s leadership is being granted relief by the courts despite that May 9 happened. The government is now on a way to register another case against Khan following his controversial statement on social media in which he held the military establishment responsible for the cessation of Pakistan in 1971. Earlier he PTI’s leadership was distancing itself from Khan’s view point but now they have claimed it as their part of struggle in getting their allegedly stolen mandate in 2024 general election. The PTI has also successfully twisted this tweet toward former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif stating that he also did this in the past, so when action was not taken against him then whey against Khan? Despite these pressures, PTI won substantial seats in the general election is also expecting decision on reserved seats in its favor. The realty is that it could not be defeated despite all that.
The courts don’t look ready to buy the narrative of the military emphasis, the government is not in a capacity to handle this matter and stands nowhere in this battle too. What is left behind is a question to think?
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif has authored this opinion)
