The actual powerful quarters have resumed their favorite hobby of founding and dissolving political parties as the Pakistan’s political turmoil is getting from bad to worse. Not a day goes by without a new member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaving the party after condemning the attacks on military facilities and locations carried out during May 9 protest.
A political party that is created or sponsored by the military or other strong actors in order to further their goals is known as a king’s party. As some of his former partners and supporters have deserted to join the ruling coalition or create their own groups, Khan has asserted that a new king’s party is being formed inside his own PTI. He has claimed that the government and its departments, including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and the police, are pressuring or bribing these deserters.
Imran Khan has accused the ruling coalition of being a “king’s party” that is backed by the establishment and is destroying the country’s institutions.
The old is disintegrating, and the new is rising from its ruins. And it isn’t happening for the first time, Gen. Pervez Musharraf arranged so many defections between 2000 and 2002, first from the PML-N and subsequently the PPP, that he later amalgamated all of the defectors into the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), which went on to become the government.
Both Fawad Chaudhry, a major figure in Imran Khan’s inner circle, and Jahangir Khan Tareen, once a confidant of Imran Khan who quit PTI a few years ago, are attempting to seize some of these defectors in order to create what many see to be another “king’s party.” Those who are abandoning PTI are also being courted by the PML-N and PPP.
Moreover, the former prime minister has asserted that the establishment is torturing, detaining, intimidating, and harassing members of his party. He has claimed that the warrant for his wife’s arrest was issued to make him seem bad and that his security chief has vanished. He has sworn to battle against “terror tactics” and defend the people’s “true freedom.” He has urged his followers to stick by him and not be concerned by the establishment’s repression.
On the other hand, Khan’s accusations have been brushed aside by the ruling coalition, the supposed mouthpiece of the “powerful quarters”. They claim he is a bitter loser out to destabilize the country with his attempts to sow discord and unrest. They also asserted that when Khan took office in 2018, he personally benefited from the establishment’s backing.
The political crisis in Pakistan has raised concerns about the future of democracy and stability in the country. Many observers and commentators have questioned the establishment role, particularly the military. Moreover, a number of parties have questioned the reliability and legality of the judiciary and the election system. It’s unclear how the country’s political unrest will affect the country’s security position, economy, social structure, and regional dynamics. But one thing is for certain—the “King’s party” experiment has failed in the past, and anyone who believes it will succeed this time is living in a fool’s paradise.
