By Hamza Ameer: After days of violence and chaos in Pakistan following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan Army has decided to show no respite or tolerance towards all elements behind what it termed as a “foreign supported and internally instigated, promoted and provoked attack on military installations and public and private properties”.
During the violence, state institutions, especially sensitive military buildings, were attacked by supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party led by Imran Khan, who was arrested on May 9 in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
In an important meeting of Special Corps Commanders Conference (CCC), held at GHQ (General Headquarters) Rawalpindi, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir was comprehensively briefed about the law and order situation since May 9. He was told the violence occurred in a bid to achieve “vested political interests”.
The forum was briefed in detail about the prevailing internal and external security environment, a press statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
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INCIDENTS OF ARSONS CONDEMNED
“The forum was briefed that a well-coordinated arson plan involving desecration of Shuhada pictures, monuments, burning down of historical buildings and vandalism of military installations was executed to malign the institution and provoke it towards giving an impulsive reaction,” the ISPR said.
During the meeting, the incidents of arson were condemned and described as political motivated and instigated against military installations, along with public and private buildings.
“The Commanders also communication the anguish and sentiments of the rank and file of the Army on these unfortunate and unacceptable incidents,” the ISPR stated.
It was maintained that after thorough probe into the incidents, irrefutable evidence was collected, which have now exposed the “planners, instigators, abettors and perpetrators” of these attacks.
“These attacks and attempts were made to create distortions in this regard are absolutely futile,” the ISPR said.
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PAK ARMY’S TOUGH STAND AGAINST IMRAN KHAN
The Army has now decided to not spare anyone, including Imran Khan, for what it terms as heinous crimes against the military installations. The perpetrators will be brought to justice through trials under “relevant laws of Pakistan”, including “Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act”, it said.
The Army’s decision to include the Army Act and the Official Secrets Act is a serious provision in which Imran Khan, his party leaders and party workers can be slapped with such charges, the punishment of which can be either death sentence or life imprisonment.
The Pakistan Army Act is usually applied to serving officers, who are trialed through the institution’s internal inquiry, trial and punishment system, in which, an officer, if found guilty, is discharged from service through a court martial and a dishonorable exit.
The Official Secrets Act and its sections relate to sedition, spying, and espionage, the punishment for which also includes capital punishment.
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The generals highlighted and expressed serious concerns over “externally sponsored and internally orchestrated propaganda warfare”, which is stated was “unleashed against the Army leadership, meant to create fissures between the armed forces and the people of Pakistan, and within rank and file of the armed forces”.
The stand taken by the Pakistan Army is nothing less than an alarm bell for Imran Khan as the Army seems to have decided to take the offensive back to him, his party, his supporters, his party’s strong base of financial and emotional supporters outside of Pakistan and even his social media campaigners.
Imran Khan’s support base access would be completely countered through strict actions, seriously challenging the accountability process of his party members and a clampdown on his media presence.
It seems clear that the establishment, along with the government, have decided to close all doors for Imran Khan’s narrative, cut his party leadership in size and shrink his public support base to bare minimum by such strong and aggressively placed actions against him.
These actions are aimed at leaving Imran Khan with no support or facilitation and tarnish his image through trials with charges of sedition, espionage, provocation and instigation of a foreign sponsored anti-Pakistan agenda.
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