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Imran Khan, the founder and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( PTI), recently did something very courageous by asking the party’s underground leaders to leave their safe heavens and get arrested.
Imran Khan brought this call to action in an address from Adiala Jail, where he is currently incarcerated. Imran Khan also reminded the commanders that he too was in prison and compelled them to stop being afraid of the consequences and face problems squarely.
Background Context
Imran Khan’s directive comes into effect when Pakistan’s political situation is tense. After the mass protests and riots on May 9, 2023, Khan’s first arrest, most PTI leaders had to hide from the authorities to escape arrest. The government and security forces started to apprehend the members of the PTI accusing them of provoking violence and defying the state.
Current and former PTI lawmakers, party leaders, and activists have gone into hiding especially since the current crackdown campaign. These leaders are concerned about the possibility of being arrested and possibly prosecuted for treason, seditious conduct, and terrorism. Several times the government’s actions have been condemned by the supporters of PTI and other human right organizations for trying to suppress the political dissent.
Imran Khan’s Leadership
Imran Khan’s urging these leaders to come forward for arrest is another masterly act to show that he and his party are ready to stand strong against what he considers a politically motivated crackdown. Thus, Khan urges his party members to stand against authorities in order to demonstrate PTI’s capabilities and determination. He opines the fact that by getting arrested and later obtaining bails from the courts, PTI leaders can fight the legal processes and gain public support.
It is for this reason that Khan’s leadership style has always been driven by his appetite to take risks and tackle challenges. The latest directive fully fits into his long-term plan of ensuring that his party remains active and puts pressure on the current government and powers that be. Khan remains a political actor and manipulating his party and the politics of Pakistan even from behind bars of prison.
May 9, 2023 Incident
Let’s first understand the importance of May 9, 2023, before proceeding to analyze PTI’s problems. This day changed the political situation in Pakistan, as arresting the PTI Chairman, Imran Khan, sparked protests all over the country some of which were characterized by acts of rampage. The government’s reaction was immediate and brutal, arresting many people including most of the PTI leaders and supporters, and deploying a lot of security forces to curb the protests.
These events have also put PTI in a very vulnerable state where most of its leaders are in jail, in hiding or have legal cases against them. Some of the recent speeches of Khan are call to order for his party to continue fighting for their cause in politics despite the current challenges.
In calling on his party leaders to stop ‘hiding’ and ‘come out and answer’ the accusations leveled against them, Khan is trying to mobilize his party and show the government that the opposition is ready to fight. This could add more steam to the forces that PTI represents as a determined political force in Pakistan before any upcoming elections or other political events.
