What is happening now is not unfamiliar to Pakistan’s treacherous power politics. The signs of rupture are evident in its ranks as the PTI faces a massive crackdown.

Several prominent members — the latest among them Shireen Mazari and Fayyaz Chohan — have left the party and many others are lining up to exit. Former prime minister Imran Khan is paying the cost of taking on his powerful erstwhile patrons.

A protégé-turned-rebel has to be culled. The May 9 mayhem provided the establishment a justification to strike back with a severity not witnessed in recent times.

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