2023-05-24 20:25:00
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan
Pakistan
The resignation of former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry is the latest and most prominent in a series of departures from the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, to which Khan belongs, and which the civilian government threatened to ban on Wednesday.
A prominent aide to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wednesday that he has decided to retire from politics, which represents another blow to the party of the former prime minister, which is facing many problems as the confrontation with the army intensifies.
The resignation of former Information Minister Fouad Chaudhry is the latest and most prominent in a series of departures from the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, to which Khan belongs, and which the civilian government threatened to ban on Wednesday.
Fawad Chaudhry
Chaudhry said in a post on Twitter: “I decided to stop politics and that is why I resigned from my party position and parted with Imran Khan.”
The former information minister spent days in detention following violent protests swept the country this month following Khan’s arrest on corruption charges.
Chaudhry condemned the protests of Khan’s supporters who attacked military installations, including army headquarters, and government buildings.
Khan says the corruption charges are trumped-up and that his aides were forced out under pressure from the government and army, in a move to break up his party ahead of elections due later this year.
Khan has been locked in a conflict with the military since he was removed from power last year in a parliamentary vote he says was organized by the country’s top generals. The army denies this.
According to local polls, Khan is Pakistan’s most popular leader, while the country’s most powerful institution is the army, which has either directly ruled or supervised governments throughout its 75-year history.
The standoff has raised fresh concerns regarding the stability of the nuclear-armed South Asian country of 220 million people as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.
Chaudhry is the second former federal minister to leave Khan. Former human rights minister Shirin Mazari announced on Tuesday that she would retire from politics, citing health concerns, following spending 12 days in detention.
Shireen Mazari
The authorities arrested most of the senior leaders of the Movement for Justice. A number of former parliamentarians and middle-class leaders have left the party or politics entirely over the past few days.
Another prominent aide, former Finance Minister Asad Omar, announced on Wednesday, hours following his release, that he had decided to resign as the party’s general secretary.
Assad Omar
ban the equity movement
For his part, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters on Wednesday that Pakistan was considering banning the Tehreek-e-Insaf party because it attacked “the very foundation of the state,” adding that this matter might not be tolerated.
The ban will likely infuriate Khan’s supporters and exacerbate the confrontation with the military establishment.
Ali Zafar, a lawyer for the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said any such move would be challenged in court. He added that an entire party might not be held responsible for the actions of individuals.
Khan, 70, became prime minister in 2018 with the tacit support of the military, although this was denied by both sides at the time. But Khan later fell out with the generals following it was seen as trying to interfere with key promotions in the security sector, and he was ousted as prime minister following losing a vote of confidence in 2022.
Khan has since been campaigning for early general elections, rallying his supporters across the country. But Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister who succeeded him, refused to call early elections later this year.
Khan also faces corruption charges, which he dismisses as orchestrated in an attempt to keep him out of politics.
Khan was arrested on May 9 on charges once morest him, which sparked protests by his supporters and attacks on military installations. He was later released on bail.
Khan said in a speech on Wednesday that he would form a negotiating committee that would offer to talk to the state authorities to find a way out of the impasse.
He said he would comply with the committee’s decision if it was satisfied that removing him from politics or not holding early elections was the solution to this issue.
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