Two stormy areas in the world
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| Gaza and Pakistan: Two stormy areas in the world, writes Justice Katju |
By Justice Markandey Katju
There are two stormy cetres of turbulence, crisis, and confrontation in the world today, Gaza and Pakistan.
As regards Gaza I have already written several articles and posted a video interview on the origin and nature of the events leading upto the events of 7th October, so I am not repeating the same.
In Pakistan, the situation has not yet reached the same level of insurrection as in Gaza, but the situation is potentially explosive, and may soon become a rebellion against the army, which has, after the events of 9th May, (which many Pakistanis believe were stage-managed) imposed a reign of terror in Pakistan, arresting and imprisoning over 10,000 people, torturing many, and even 'disappearing' some, muzzling most of the media, and rendering the judiciary impotent.
The Pakistan army is now trying to foist on the Pakistani people the hated and corrupt former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Pakistani court for massive corruption, as evidenced by the Panama Papers, but fled to England thereafter.
About 90% people of Pakistan solidly support former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been locked up in jail since early August, along with many of the leaders and supporters of his PTI party.
It is thus a Pakistani army versus the Pakistani people situation.
Presently many Pakistanis are lying low out of fear of being arrested (though there have been massively attended meetings in KP and elsewhere in Imran Khan's support).
But this situation cannot last long. National parliamentary elections are scheduled for 8th February, and the Pakistan army will resort to every means of opposing Imran Khan's coming to power (which he certainly will if elections are free and fair, considering his popularity), so the army will get the PTI banned, or resort to massive rigging.
This will not be tolerated by the Pakistani people, who will then devise means of combating the army, by guerilla war or other ways.
Terrible times are coming in Pakistan, and it will soon become another Gaza
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)
