Tag: Pakistan Election

Imran Khan has become an idea which has gripped the masses in Pakistan

Justice Markandey Katju
When Imran Khan became Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018, and for quite some thereafter too, I was very critical of him.

He had taken help of religious extremists during his election campaign, and had given PTI tickets to dubious ‘electables’.

Soon after becoming PM he had dismissed the renowned economist Atif Mian from the Pakistan Economic Advisory Council, just because he was an Ahmadi.

He had suppressed the press, even getting arrested and imprisoned Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, owner of Jang Group, in a 34 year old land case, because of some criticism by his newspaper.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1540500

He constantly spoke of Madina ki Riyasat. Speaking of it a few times would be okay, but making a habit of it is going too far.

However, all that is in the past, and we should see the present.

Presently Imran Khan is leading the democratic forces in Pakistan, against the fascist reign of terror unleashed by the corrupt Pakistan Establishment.

He is basically an honest man, who has repeatedly said he will continue living in Pakistan, and not fly abroad like the corrupt Nawaz Sharif ( who was convicted by the Pakistan Supreme Court ). He has no assets abroad, unlike PDM leaders, whose names appear in the Panama Papers, and other credible material. In my opinion all honest and right thinking people everywhere should support him.
Earlier, 70% Pakistanis supported him ( according to opinion polls in Pakistan and the bye elections results ). But now the number has drastically risen, and may be between 80 and 90%. This means over 200 million out of the 240 million Pakistanis support Imran Khan.

Imran Khan is now no longer a person, he has become an idea in Pakistan, representing honesty, truth,and commitment to the people’s welfare.. Even if he is imprisoned or physically eliminated, the idea will live on, like the ghost of Caesar after his assassination.

July 1, 2023
My contact with Pakistanis

By Justice Katju
Although I am an Indian,. I have lots of Pakistani friends and acquaintances, with whom I used to regularly chat on skype and whatsapp.
Of late, however, these contacts have dried up or snapped, and this seems to be due to recent developments in Pakistan where the military and police have unleashed a reign of terror after the events of 9th May. Thousands of people have been arrested, beaten, ‘disappeared’ or even killed, the media has been largely silenced, military tribunals set up which will dispense kangaroo justice, and fear haunts the land.
In this situation, my Pakistani contacts, who told me that whatsapp and skype are being closely monitored by intelligence agencies, seem to be scared that if they talk with me or message me they may be arrested on the charge of communicating with an Indian RAW agent ( after all, every Indian is a RAW agent ! ). So now they don’t take my whatsapp calls or respond to my messages. One female Pakistani journalist, with whom I used to chat daily, has even removed her number and name from my whatsapp contact list.
In my articles and tweets I have been harshly criticising Pakistan army chief Gen Munir and the Corps Commanders, who have imposed fascist rule and a kind of martial law In Pakistan.
I have also strongly supported Imran Khan, who has now become persona non grata with the Pakistan Establishment.
I could do so sitting safely in India, but if I had done so in Pakistan I would have been ‘disappeared’ a long time back. Naturally Pakistanis who communicate with a person critical of that holy institution, the Pakistan army, are themselves suspect, and are in danger of being arrested or ‘disappeared’.
I can understand all this. Maybe I would have done the same had I been in their place. I remember the lines in Hindi poet Shyam Narain Pandey’s famous poem ‘Haldighati’ :
” Tha shor maut se bacho bacho

Talwaar chali, talwaar chali ”.
But I have also advised all Pakistanis to silently knit the names of their oppressors, like Madame Defarge in Dickens’ novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’

June 3, 2023
Undeclared martial law prevails in Pakistan By Justice Katju

”Tha shor maut se bacho bacho talwaar chali talwaar hali ”
The above line from Hindi poet Shyam Narain Pandey’s epic poem ‘Haldighati’ succinctly expresses the situation prevailing in Pakistan today, where there is an atmosphere of fear, consternation, and presentiment.
After former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest on 9th May by the Pakistan Rangers, there have been protests in many cities in Pakistan by PTI supporters. These included attacks on army GHQ, Corps Commander’s residence, and military installations, as many people believed it was the army which ordered the arrest.
It is very likely that indeed it was the army which ordered the arrest.
However, the attack on army buildings and installations has provoked a strong reaction from the Pakistan army whose media wing, the ISPR, declared it as a “black chapter” in Pakistan’s history, and warned of strong action against the culprits and those behind them.
Without naming Imran Khan’s PTI, the ISPR has clearly pointed to it and its leaders as those responsible for the violence.
Consequently there has been a crackdown on the PTI, many of whose top leaders and workers have been arrested or are absconding.
The PTI leaders have called for a countrywide protest against Imran Khan’s arrest
However, after some initial response to this call, the protests have mostly died down, since the army has taken out its sword. As was said ” Sach achcha, par sach ke liye koi aur mare to aur achcha ”. Everyone values his neck.

I submit :
(1) The PTI, and its leaders, including Imran Khan are finished politically forever.
The PTI was created in 1996 by Imran Khan, who worked assiduously to build it up for over 2 decades before it came to power in 2018. Now in a few months he has destroyed it by foolishly taking on the Pakistan army, which is the real power in Pakistan.
(2) Undeclared martial law has now been imposed in Pakistan, and is likely to continue for quite some time.
The real reason for Imran Khan’s arrest was obvious : of late he had given some intemperate statements severely critical of some senior officers in the Pakistan army.
There is a dictum ‘power grows out of the barrel of a gun’, and in Pakistan the gun is with the army. So the real power in Pakistan is with the its army, which has ruled Pakistan, overtly or covertly, almost throughout its history.
Speaking against it in public is extremely dangerous, and that is what has really led to Imran Khan’s arrest, not alleged corruption.I submit this arrest will not be confined to Imran Khan alone, but will immediately send several harsh messages throughout Pakistan :
1. If Pakistanis want to remain healthy, they must never openly criticise the Pak army, otherwise they may be beaten up or end up in jail, like Imran Khan, or suffer worse consequences. This is despite the fact that the Pakistan army has looted Pakistan
When Roman general Pompey the Great went to Sicily, the people of Sicily objected to his jurisdiction on the ground that it was against an ancient law of Rome. To which Pompey replied ” Dont quote the laws to us, we carry swords ”.So laws matter little when there is martial law, declared or undeclared
2. Arrest of Imran Khan has sent a clear message from the Pakistan army to the Chief Justice of Pakistan & other judges to pipe down. Despite their earlier bravado, Justice Bandial & his companion judges will soon forget drawing contempt charges against those who defied their 4th April order ( that elections to the Punjab Assembly must be held on 14th May ), citing Justice Munir’s ‘doctrine of necessity’.
All judges in Pakistan ( and civil servants ) will soon get the message that obeying the army’s orders blindly is the only way to remain safe and healthy.
3. Many PTI members will soon quit the party, or duck for cover. Aspirants for membership must have now forgetten about it, realising that it may get them into trouble.
4. Imran Khan’s arrest has sent a strong message to mediahouses and mediapersons who were supporting him to pipe down, or face the consequences
5. And it has also sent a clear message to supporters of Imran Khan not to come out in protest on the streets in large numbers, otherwise a ‘whiff of grapeshot’ may be used to disperse them, as was done by Napoleon’s troops on the Paris mob in October 1795 on Vendemiare
Facebook, twitter, and youtube are reportedly shut down in Pakistan.There will of course be a Prime Minister and civilian govt in Pakistan, but this will be just a fig leaf. Undeclared martial law has been imposed in the country.

May 11, 2023
The decision to arrest Imran Khan by Justice Katju

Crucial decisions of the Pakistan army, the real rulers of Pakistan, are taken in the Corps Commanders conferences which are held regularly, and in addition whenever the army chief requisitions it. The meetings, which are closed door and highly confidential, are chaired by the army chief, who is a full general, and the participants are the corps commanders and principal staff officers, who are of the rank of lieutenant general. No one else is allowed to attend.
The decision to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan was almost certainly taken in one of these meetings, but since they are always closed door and highly confidential, no one, apart from the participants, know what actually transpired.
I have therefore used my imagination and written this fictional and hypothetical account of what occurred in the meeting.
The Chairman, Gen Asim Munir, opens the proceedings.
Gen Munir ” Gentlemen, we are meeting today to discuss the prevailing political situation in our country, particularly when it has taken such an ugly turn. I would request you gentleman to speak freely, and suggest what course of action should the army adopt ”
Lt Gen X ” Sir, may I have permission to speak ”
Gen Munir ” Certainly X, say whatever you have in mind ”.
Lt Gen X ” Sir, I may be pardoned for using strong language, and I want to make it clear that I am not in any way aligned with any political party, but some of the recent utterances of Mr Imran Khan, head of the PTI, about the army are highly objectionable and just not acceptable to anyone with self respect.
I have discussed this matter with many of the participants in this meeting, and also with several other army officers, who are in agreement with me, and have asked me to be their spokesperson here.
Mr Imran Khan has made false, baseless, and malicious statements publicly that Maj Gen Faisal Naseer of the ISI twice tried to get him murdered. He has also alleged that Gen Naseer was involved in the brutal killing of TV anchor Arshad Sharif in Kenya, and has said that Gen Naseer stripped Senator Azam Swati naked, and inflicted severe torture on him.

Sir, we all know Gen Naseer, who has the highest character, and he would never do things like these. We regard allegations against him as allegations against all officers of the Pakistan army. If we do not do anything about this it means we admit being murderers ”
Lt Gen Y ” Mr Imran Khan has also attacked our former chief Gen Bajwa and accused him of hiring former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqaani, to lobby against him there ”
Lt Gen Z ” Mr Khan has also claimed that then military establishment was in contact with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif to topple his government and the plot against him became clear following the removal of Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed as ISI chief in October 2021. He has alleged that Gen Bajwa was playing a double game, and he discovered later that even PTI’s members were being given different messages ”.
Gen Munir ” Gentlemen, are you suggesting that we bump off Mr Khan ? I personally am not in favour of that ”Lt Gen X ” No sir, all we are suggesting is that Mr Khan be taken care of. Things cannot be allowed to continue like this. We too have our self respect. How long must we hang our heads in shame before the public ? ”
Gen Munir ” O.K. I think we are all agreed on that. Mr Khan’s insults of Pakistan’s army have now crossed their limits. I suggest Lt.Gen X be made in charge of a task force to sort out Mr Khan ”Everyone agrees.
Gen Munir ” X, organise this task force as soon as you can, and take anyone from the army for this. There is already a NAB warrant for arrest of Imran Khan which we had covertly arranged for, but the police seems to be half hearted in executing it. Tell the head of the Rangers to do it within 48 hours. Tell him the army will not tolerate any excuses.
Also, tell the Chief Justice of Pakistan to order all judges not to release Imran Khan until the army permits. Tell him failure to do so will have very serious consequences for both him and any judge who orders Mr Khan”s release.
Anything further gentlemen ? ”
No one replies.
Gen Munir ” Very well gentlemen, this meeting is closed ”
Situation after Imran Khan’s arrest: Pakistan mein PTI officials ki dhadaadhad giraftariyan ho rahi hain. Pak fauj ne talwaar nikaal li hai. Ab maidan-e-jang se bhag jaane mein hi aqlmandi hai. Hindi nazm ‘Haldighati’ ka yeh misra yaad aata hai ”Tha shor maut se bacho bacho, talwaar chali talwaar chali”Work is said to be in progress to declare PTI a terrorist organisation. Having assiduously built up PTI from 1996, this moorkh Imran Khan has practically destroyed it within a few months by taking on the Pak army. To save their own skins, there will soon be a largescale exodus of PTI members from the party
Disclaimer : “The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the thenewscaravan.com
Any content provided by our authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. The News Caravan values and welcomes diverse representations and opinions.”

May 10, 2023
Holding National and Provincial Assemblies elections together in Pakistan By Justice Katju

In the present crisis in Pakistan, a demand has been raised, mainly by the ruling PDM leaders and its members, that elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies be held together. The Pakistan Senate has also passed a resolution to this effect. Is this demand valid ? I submit it is not.
There is no provision in Pakistan’s Constitution that the National and Provincial Assembly elections must be held together.Apart from that, there is another problem in holding both elections together.
Article 52 of Pakistan’s Constitution states :” The National Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, continue for a term of five years from the day of its first meeting and shall stand dissolved at the expiration of its term ”.
Similarly Article 107 states :
” The Provincial Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, continue for a term of five years from the day of its first meeting and shall stand dissolved at the expiration of its term ”.Now suppose a Provincial Assembly, for some reason, is dissolved prematurely one year after its first meeting, but the National Assembly is not dissolved, and has yet to complete another 4 years. Will there be no Provincial Assembly for 4 years ?
Article 224(2) of Pakistan’s Constitution states :
” When the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly is dissolved, a general election to the Assembly shall be held within a period of ninety days after the dissolution, and the results of the election shall be declared not later than fourteen days after the conclusion of the polls ”.
This provision is very clear, and it makes it obvious that both National and Provincial Assembly elections cannot be held together, where either the National or the Provincial Assembly was dissolved prematurely.
The Punjab Provincial Assembly was dissolved prematurely on 14th January 2023, and hence in view of Article 224(2) elections to it had to be held by 14th April, and they could not be validly postponed to the time when the National Assembly completes its term in August, and elections are to be held for it in October.

I submit that for meeting the demand for holding elections simultaneously, the Constitution has to be amended, and until that is done, the demand is not tenable.

April 21, 2023
What is going on in the Pakistan Supreme Court ?

I was a lawyer for 20 years in India and a Judge for another 20 years ( including being the Chief Justice of 3 High Courts and a Judge in the Indian Supreme Court ), but I can’t make head or tail of what is going on in the Pakistan Supreme Court.
The hearing of the petition against postponement of elections of the Punjab and KP Assemblies is going on for the last 4 days, and twice the bench hearing the case has been dissolved. The CJP Bandial has said there are no differences among the judges, a statement belied by the orders of his own colleagues, two of whom recused from the hearing..
I simply can’t understand what is there for the Pakistan Supreme Court to decide ? The Pakistan Constitution says elections must be held within 90 days of dissolution of the Assembly. The Punjab and KP Assemblies had been dissolved on 18th January. Hence elections had to be held by 18th April, and so even the postponement of the elections to 30th April by the Election Commission of Pakistan was unconstitutional. How could they be further postponed to 8th October ? Is the ECP above the Pakistan Constitution ?
I regret to say that the Pakistan Constitution is treated as a joke by the powers that be in Pakistan. For instance, whenever martial law was illegally imposed in Pakistan the Pakistan Supreme Court validated it by inventing an egregious, flagitious and disreputable ‘doctrine of necessity’, which is unknown to jurisprudence throughout the world.
The performance of the present bench of the Court is equally debasing and scandalous. The Court should have dismissed the petition, as I would have done had I been on it, in 5 minutes by saying that elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the Punjab and KP Assemblies. There was no scope for arguments about it. But instead a melodrama and comedy has been going on in the Court for the last 4 days, with lawyers, particularly those supporting the postponement of the elections, being permitted long winded arguments over a matter which really needed no arguments.
I would often tell lawyers in my Court ” Be brief, be quick, and be off ”. The same should have been said by the Judges hearing the case.
It seems evident that some elements in Pakistan are determined that no early elections be held in Punjab and KP, but what is particularly distressing is that the highest court in the land is, wittingly or unwittingly, collaborating in this egregious and deplorable design.
Disclaimer : “The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the thenewscaravan.com
Any content provided by our authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. The News Caravan values and welcomes diverse representations and opinions.”
Author : Justice Markandey Katju is former Chairman , Press Council of India and former Judge , Supreme Court of India.

April 2, 2023
Imran Khan’s party will sweep the polls whenever elections are held, but army will be the real ruler.

The News Caravan News Desk
Justice Markandey Katju
In my opinion all this talk is irrelevant. The real ruler of Pakistan, was, is, and will remain its army. So even if Imran Khan again becomes the Prime Minister, he will only be a dummy and a puppet.
It is said that Imran Khan has massive support in Pakistan. That may be true. But if these supporters create any problem, a grape of whiffshot will make them disperse and disappear, like the Paris mob at Vendemiarie in 1795 when faced with Napoleon’s troops.
Author Justice Markandey Katju is former Chairman , Press Council of India and former Judge , Supreme Court of India.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house.

November 16, 2022