Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan vs Political intervention

In five years, another prime minister was ousted from power. Imran Khan is in the mood for confrontation with the country’s powerful security establishment.

In 2017, then PM Nawaz Sharif’s government was overthrown after a verdict of the Supreme Court in which he was disqualified for not withdrawing his salary as a chief executive of a UAE-based company.

He blamed the country’s army for his ouster owing to not bowing down to its whims.

Now, Imran Khan uses the same mantra as he thinks that the security establishment was responsible for his government’s failure to complete its constitutional term.

Both Khan and Sharif are arch-rivals of each other. But their annoyance with the country’s powerful establishment is no more secret.

Both leaders were at loggerheads with their army chiefs.

Despite their different political ideologies, their complaint is the same. That is unnecessary pressure from ”powerful quarters” in some matters.

Nawaz raised the slogan ‘vote ko izzat do’ honor vote) and Imran’s desire for ‘haqeqi azadi'(true freedom) have a resemblance as both want to maintain their authority over the policy issues.

Mr. Khan wants early elections which puts pressure on the military to remain ‘apolitical’ and not show its tilt towards any side.

All political parties must not call on the military establishment to become part of a political fight and any kind of military intervention in political affairs should be discouraged.