• Senate witnesses heated debate on talk of dividing Pakistan
• Shehbaz, Zardari term it ‘language of the enemy’
• Pemra bans rebroadcast of interview

ISLAMABAD: Although Imran Khan had steadily been escalating his attacks on the current government and stepping up his criticism of the role of the establishment, perhaps even he was unprepared for the backlash his prediction of the country’s ‘dismemberment’ would bring.

The former prime minister was roundly criticised by voices from across the political spectrum – in parliament as well as on media and social media platforms – over his exhortation to the establishment to make the “right decisions”.

In an interview with Bol TV anchorperson Sami Abraham, Mr Khan warned that if Pakis-tan were to lose its nuclear deterrence, it would be broken up into “three pieces”.

In the segment, aired on Wednesday night, the former PM maintained that the current political situation was a problem for the country as well as the establishment.

“If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I assure you, they and the army will be destroyed, because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt,” he said.

Mr Khan’s insisted that if Pakistan defaults, it would be the army that is worst affected. “After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us? Denuclearisation,” he concluded, adding: “If the right decisions aren’t made at this time then the country is going towards suicide.”

But hours after his remarks were broadcast, his successor censured Mr Khan for “making naked threats against the country” and deemed him “unfit for public office” for “talking about division of Pakistan”.

“Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits and talk about [the] division of Pakistan,” he warned the PTI chairperson.

In his interview on Wednesday, Mr Khan had also warned that the country could descend into a civil war if elections were not announced. “We will see if they allow us to go towards elections through legal and constitutional means otherwise this country will go towards [a] civil war,” he said.

Reacting to this through another statement, PM Shehbaz termed the remarks “a conspiracy to spark the fire of anarchy and division in the country.”

Condemnationfrom political players

Former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari also reacted sharply to Imran’s comments, saying: “No one can talk about fragmenting Pakistan. This is not that language of a Pakistani but that of [Indian PM] Modi.”

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that by ‘right decisions’, Mr Khan actually meant that he should be brought back into PM House.

“What a shame. [Imran Khan] has lost his mind and patriotism in his revenge for losing power,” Iqbal tweeted.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also condemned Imran’s statement, terming it “hate speech”.

Similarly, Aurangzeb continued, “it is the enemy who talks about institutions’ destruction. It is the enemy who talks about the snatching away of nuclear assets”.

The information minister said Imran’s speech of such a nature should not have been aired on television.

Consequently, the electronic media watchdog also issued a notice prohibiting all satellite channels from rebroadcasting Sami Abraham’s interview with Imran Khan which contained statements.

According to Pemra, the remarks “gravely threatened the national security, independence, sovereignty, integrity and ideology of the country which is likely to create hatred among the people and is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order”.

PTI support

On the other hand, PTI leaders Shahbaz Gill and Omer Sarfaraz Cheema said Imran had been warning for a long time that efforts were under way to weaken the army and asked why a hue and cry was raised on his recent statement.

“Imran Khan has been saying for long that our army is of utmost importance. There are efforts to weaken the army. If the army is weakened, we will face destruction just like Syria, Iraq and Somalia. If the economy is destroyed, how will the army be run? If the army is not strong, who will let [us] have nuclear assets,” Gill tweeted.

In a message along similar lines, the former Punjab governor said that Mr Khan and the party had always “struggled to ensure respect for institutions and the national interest”.

Senate

In the upper house of parliament, government and opposition members also locked horns in the Senate on Thursday over the former prime minister’s remarks.

The issue was raised at the very outset of the proceedings by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, who said saying that such talk was unbecoming of a person who had held the highest democratic office in the country. “This could be nothing but a conspiracy against Pakistan,” he remarked.

But Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Dr Shahzad Wasim regretted that the government was trying to distort Imran Khan’s remarks, adding that the PTI leader had merely warned against the threats facing Pakistan.

Senator Asif Kirmani of PML-N urged institutions including Supreme Court to take notice of Imran’s statements and said Pakistan could not be run on the whims of an individual.

Senator Tahir Bizenjo said that Imran Khan’s narrative should not be paid heed to, as he considered only himself fit for executive authority.

Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said that speaking against the higher judiciary and armed forces can lead to disqualification.

He claimed that it may not have been so damaging had the statement come from someone else, but for the former PM to make such remarks was condemnable.

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz also had some choice words for Mr Khan. Speaking to the media after appearing in court on Thursday, Ms Nawaz said the former PM had become desperate and was bent on dragging the army into politics by threatening the disintegration of the country if the establishment did not take the “right decision”.

“A leader’s job is to form unity, but Imran is doing the opposite,” she said.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2022