The ruling coalition needs to give a shut up call to elements in its component parties who under an impulse for revenge are baying for PTI chief Imran Khan’s blood. A leader of a mainstream party has claimed that Mr Khan wanted to spread chaos in the country “with the foreign funding of Israel and India” and should therefore be immediately detained. Notwithstanding the way the PTI used NAB, FIA and even ANF to torture its opponents, keep them behind bars for months without a shred of proof and conducted their media trial, the parties in the ruling coalition cannot do the same to the PTI as it would undermine their claim that they had made sacrifices to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. The ruling coalition needs to be reminded that only under authoritarian and fascistic regimes are political opponents put behind bars on the basis of presumptions alone. In democracies governments produce whatever incriminatory evidence they possess before the courts to get alleged foreign agents punished.
Any major oppressive action taken by the ruling party against an opposition leader without judicial approval is likely to be interpreted as an act of political revenge and lead to protests. Even independent observers are likely to question the motives behind the action. Some of the PTI leaders had already warned in the early hours of Monday that their leader would be a “red line”. Forer Minister Ali Amin Gandapur threatened that if Mr Khan is arrested the PTI would take over Islamabad. He warned the police not to be a “part of this political war anymore”.
With its credibility badly damaged while implementing the IMF’s programme, the government might find it difficult to deal with any agitation. Even worse, the tussle could lead to the system’s fall. Instead of provoking an unnecessary face-off the government needs to concentrate on its performance and to be seen to be delivering.
Imran Khan faces a number of cases. One of these has landed him in the dreaded Anti-Terrorism Court. In another he faces a contempt of court charge which has already sent a PM home. Any adverse decision against him taken by the courts would be irreversible as it would be enforced by the state.
