May sanity prevails

Ever since his ouster due to the vote of no-confidence, Imran Khan has adopted a narrative that goes against the country’s powerful quarters. On that basis, it is quite logical to expect an angry response from his supporters on his arrest. His arrest has badly affected the integrity of state institutions and is damaging the already fragile bonds of trust between the people and the administrative authorities. With the economy already at a breaking point, such attempts can only trigger a civil war. History testifies that arresting populist leaders who have a massive fan base has always worsened the situation. It also leads to heavy damage to the country’s infrastructure and its reputation at the international level.

All of this is happening at a time when we have security concerns from the eastern and western borders, and there is the persistent danger of the reorganisation of terror groups. The hostile enemies may take advantage of the chaos prevailing in the country. The ruling class must change its way of dealing with these internal problems before it is too late.

Muhammad Mubasir Khan

Lahore