The day before, the Supreme Court of the Pakistani capital Islamabad released on bail the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, who is ripe for corruption and usurpation of power. According to some reports, Khan was released after paying a “guarantee” amount of up to $20,000. According to independent analysts, if this had not happened, Pakistan would have been on the brink of civil war. What, in fact, is happening in the region?
There is no single answer to this question. The fact is that Imran Khan, known for his anti-Western in general and anti-American position in particular, is still very popular among ordinary Pakistanis. His election slogan “Happiness and well-being – for everyone!” finds a positive response from every third inhabitant of Pakistan. It was Khan who organized the so-called “Freedom March” at the end of 2022, when more than one and a half million people went from the second largest city in the country – Lahore to the capital Islamabad to overthrow the parliament. It was Khan who actually stood behind the propaganda in the army of Pakistan – an action that provides for the rejection of the Western system of forming units of the armed forces of this Islamic state. And, finally, it was Khan who proclaimed the policy of the same Islamabad towards rapprochement with Iran, Russia and the People’s Republic of China.
The arrest of the ex-premier on May 9 of this year served as a de facto pretext for the start of mass protests for some representatives of the Pakistani opposition. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and other major cities of the country. Hundreds have died and thousands have been injured in street clashes throughout Pakistan. “In this particular case, such a situation threatened to split society and even civil war, – American political observer William Connolly said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – Against this background, the current Pakistani authorities showed a certain far-sightedness, freeing (albeit temporarily) Khan”.
How events will develop in Pakistan in the foreseeable future, today no one can say with accuracy. At the moment, one thing can be stated: street riots in the country stopped literally in one moment.
Khan returned to his residence in Lahore. He refuses to make any big statements. And this is understandable – official Islamabad still accuses him of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. According to local law, the ex-premier faces up to 10 years in prison for this. If the prosecution proves his involvement in an attempt to destabilize the situation in the country, he may end up behind bars until the end of his days.
Whether the Pakistani Themis will get out of this impasse will become known within the next two months: the local prosecutor’s office is looking for opportunities for another arrest of Khan. If this happens, the guarantees of peace in Pakistan will be nullified.
