ISLAMABAD: Two years after former prime minister Imran Khan was jailed, Pakistan is caught in a dangerous political deadlock. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) marked the anniversary with nationwide protests on Tuesday, confronting an increasingly dominant military establishment led by Field Marshal Asim Munir.Demonstrators took to the streets in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and other cities, demanding Khan’s release from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where he has been held since Aug 2023 on charges ranging from corruption to incitement. PTI called the protests a “do-or-die” moment for democracy. In response, police in Punjab and other regions launched a crackdown, detaining dozens of workers and raiding party politicians’ homes, a move Punjab police denied, though sources confirmed at least 20 arrests in Lahore.The crackdown follows sweeping convictions last week, when an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad sentenced 108 PTI members, including opposition politicians Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul Wazir, to 10 years in jail over the May 9, 2023 riots in which military installations were attacked following Khan’s brief arrest. Additional convictions were also handed down by another Punjab court, signalling what critics say is a coordinated effort to decapitate the party.PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan denounced the rulings as “engineered”, timed to sabotage the protests. “These are not trials, they’re political purges,” he said.Khan, speaking through his X account, has accused the military of rigging the 2024 elections and enforcing what he called “Asim Law” — de facto military rule propped up by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The bitter personal feud between Khan and Munir dates back to 2019, when Khan, then PM, removed Munir as ISI chief, a humiliation the now army chief has apparently not forgotten.Since Munir’s appointment in 2022, the military has tightened its grip on civilian institutions. In June, Munir was controversially promoted to field marshal, Pakistan’s first since Ayub Khan, drawing criticism as a face-saving move after recent strategic and political setbacks. The military’s power has been further entrenched by a May 2025 Supreme Court ruling allowing civilian trials in military courts, and the passage of the 26th Amendment, which PTI says undermines judicial independence.The PTI’s cause has found support overseas, where diaspora communities have launched sustained protest campaigns in cities like London, Toronto, and Houston. Demonstrators have condemned what they call “military rule in civilian clothing”, using social media and digital billboards to amplify their message. While their efforts have gained some attention from rights groups and sympathetic lawmakers, they have yet to translate into meaningful international pressure on Islamabad.Back home, the govt defends the crackdown as a lawful response to what it sees as attempts to destabilise the state. But human rights groups, including Amnesty International, accuse authorities of using “unlawful and excessive force”, including arbitrary arrests, internet shutdowns, and blanket bans on public gatherings.Pakistan’s escalating political crisis is no longer just about Imran Khan. It is a contest for power, legitimacy, and the future of democratic space in the country.
