Hard Times Ahead

The province’s former ruling party now fears a possible crackdown by the caretaker govt

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which dissolved its own provincial governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) two weeks back in order to force the federal government to hold fresh polls, now fears a possible crackdown against its leadership including party chairman Imran Khan

The PTI has strong reservations about appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as the Punjab interim chief minister as the steps taken by the interim government so far do not reflect in any way that the caretaker setup is impartial and that its sole agenda is to hold free and fair elections.

The way PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry was booked in a sedition case for criticizing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over picking Naqvi for the post and whisked him away from his Lahore residence in the early hours of Wednesday [January 25] justifies the PTI concerns.

Controversial officers are being appointed to key positions with the sole agenda of muzzling the PTI voice in Punjab.  The eight-member caretaker cabinet which took oath on January 27 does not seem neutral in any way. These cabinet members have a long history of criticizing the PTI’s policies.

There are even reports that the Punjab Police can even arrest PTI chief Imran Khan. A day before his arrest, Fawad Chuadhry had told reporters that the police could potentially arrest Imran Khan.

He said the former premier’s arrest would be a conspiracy against the country and that the “fools” were unaware that his arrest would strengthen the PTI’s movement.  “If Imran Khan is arrested then there will be nationwide protests,” he said.

Later the PTI workers gathered outside Zaman Park, the Lahore residence of the PTI chairperson, in the wee hours of Wednesday [January 25] to forestall any attempt by authorities to arrest Imran.

The PTI’s official Twitter handle said there were reports that the “puppet government may try to arrest Chairman Imran Khan tonight”.  “The PTI members are reaching Zaman Park in an effort to protect their leader,” the post said.

During his recent visit to Lahore, President Dr Arif Alvi – who was one of the founding members of the PTI – also warned the federal coalition government against arresting Imran Khan and delaying elections in Punjab and the KP.

He claimed that if the federal government tried to arrest Imran Khan or applied any minus-one formula, it would be counterproductive and invite strong public reaction.

PTI chief Imran Khan has already said that he does not have any trust in the interim chief minister. Imran claimed during his television address that during his time in power, he received reports from the Intelligence Bureau regarding Naqvi’s attempts to topple his government.

“Mohsin Naqvi was the most mentioned player in the regime change operation,” Imran said in a reference to the vote of no-confidence that resulted in his ouster in April 2022.

He said former president Asif Ali Zardari “considered Naqvi his son”. “You can now imagine what kind of a person he (Naqvi) is that Zardari—known for corruption worldwide— regards him as a son.”

Imran disclosed that Naqvi had returned Rs3.5 million to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2008 and accepted that he had stolen the money.

Many within the PTI had predicted that Naqvi would appoint police officials and bureaucrats who opposed the PTI and would attempt to back the party into a corner.

They are of the view that Naqvi will not allow provincial elections to take place until the electoral staff is replaced so that the ruling alliance may win the upcoming elections.

PTI leadership is so wary of the developments that PTI Secretary General Asad Umar has written a letter to the ECP for restraining the posting of 22 senior officers in Punjab as they have been personally found involved in targeting PTI and its workers at the behest of political opponents.

Interestingly, the officers that Asad has mentioned in the letter include Dr Usman Anwar and Bilal Siddique Kamyana who have already been appointed as the IGP and the CCPO Lahore respectively.

The president’s “warning” to the PML-N-led federal coalition reportedly comes following a “passionate appeal” to him from different PTI leaders to act in the face of a fear of Khan’s arrest and to ensure elections are held within the stipulated time in Punjab and KP.

Talking to journalists at the Punjab Governor House on January 26, President Alvi said: “There is no justification to postpone elections under the Constitution. The government and relevant institutions must ensure elections (in Punjab and the KP) are held within the timeframe given in the Constitution.”

He said the spirit behind a caretaker government is to ensure its neutrality so that elections are held in a free and fair manner by giving all political parties a level playing field. He was indirectly referring to the PTI’s complaints about the alleged partiality of Punjab’s caretaker government.

However, the government clearly wants to delay elections in both the provinces.

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman is yet to announce a date for polls in the province despite exhortations by President Alvi, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan and the ECP.

It has been about two weeks since the provincial legislature was dissolved by former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on the wishes of PTI chief Imran Khan.

Governor Rehman is apparently of the view that he could not make any such announcement as he had not signed the dissolution summary. Special Assistant to the PM Malik Ahmad Khan has also conveyed his government’s point of view about delaying the polls in both the provinces.