Imran Khan Escapes Assassination

Ishtiaq Ahmed

Islamabad: The attempted assassination attack on Imran Khan on November 3 in Wazirabad, Punjab, was rightly described by President Arif Alvi as a “heinous assassination attempt”.

It was also good to hear the current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemning the shooting and ordering an immediate investigation. This was the right thing to do.

This latest incident is another addition to an extended list of assassinations or such attempts set against the political culture of violence that has taken root in Pakistani society. Once again, the country is quickly being pushed to the brink of a civil war and perhaps another military intervention.

The injudicious ‘public posturing by leading political figures on all sides lacks dignity and common sense.

It is feared that if the present political stalemate persists, a violent civil war is very real possibility. Some would say that the country is already there. Therefore, unless the leaders of all political camps are prepared to bury their hatchets in the interest of finding a breakthrough in the current political impasse, the country will be pushed into an irreconcilable crisis, placing its survival at risk.

The current public anger following the assassination attack on Imran is understandable. The PTI affiliates are particularly incensed. However, the provocative statements by the PTI leadership are not helping to calm the tempers. The developing clashes between the PTI protesters and the police in Islamabad and in other major cities are alarmingly dangerous.

Pictures of this unrest and violence in Islamabad, the capital city of the country, are being broadcasted across the world, thus further enforcing the view that Pakistan is one of the world’s most unsafe states, something that President Biden only recently alluded to.

It is natural for the PTI members and sympathisers to feel extremely incensed by the assassination attempt, but equally, lawlessness, mob-style protests, and violence can’t be condoned. The PTI leadership must help calm the emotions of their supporters. The government and authorities must also show restraint while not succumbing to the mob-style activities aimed at bringing the country to a halt. We need common sense, not violence, to prevail.

The way forward must be through the elected chambers and by adhering to the constitutional provisions and protocols. This requires Imran Khan and PTI to return to the National Assembly. They were misguided to walk out in the first place. It also requires the incumbent coalition government to welcome PTI back to the National Chamber. The country is facing a national emergency, and the political leadership of all camps must lock themselves in discussions and negotiations to pull the country out of the current abyss. They owe it to the nation.