Pakistan is headed for long term instability with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif facing a political challenge from his ousted predecessor Imran Khan Niazi in the form of long-march to Islamabad tomorrow amidst free falling Pakistani Rupee and a neutral Pakistan Army.
According to reports reaching New Delhi, PTI chairman Imran Khan Niazi would depart from Peshawar on the morning of May 25 for Islamabad to lead the long march. Apparently, the call for the march was primarily for people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab with parallel protests in Quetta in Balochistan and local protests in Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad and Karachi of Sindh Province. As PTI leaders have said that Niazi will announce his next action plan on June 3, there is a possibility that the former pace bowler may plan a sit-in protest in Islamabad.
However, the Shehbaz Sharif government is taking the political challenge head-on with section 144 declared in Sindh province and mounting a country-wide crackdown on the supporters of Imran Niazi.
While the Islamic Republic is in a state of political flux since March this year, the Pakistan Army under General Qamar Jawed Bajwa wants his flock to remain neutral and focus on containing internal strikes and economic stability in Pakistan. The Rawalpindi GHQ is also concerned over the fall-out of Islamist Taliban occupation of neighbour Afghanistan as the Sunni Pashtun force does not recognize the Durand Line as the international border between the two countries as it divides the tribal Pashtun community.
The political game in Pakistan is complicated with Imran Niazi trying to cash on his victim nationalist card by forcing an early general election this year with a belief that his popularity with the youth and their apparent disgust with the ruling political feudal families would make him PM once again.
