PTI News, Updates and Discussion

[Distant_Observer]

It’s strange that people have such highly emotional views about Imran Khan but they’re okay with the criminal mafias that were installed to replace him.

To remind people: Today Zardari is the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This is the biggest criminal in Pakistan’s history. The Sharif crime family hold the positions of PM of Pakistan and CM of Punjab. These are the people who have been looting and destroying Pakistan for most of its history.

Whether IK was good or bad, it was for the people of Pakistan to decide in elections. Not for some generals, who have no constitutional authority to act like they do.

IK is a terrorist sympathizer.

Nothing else compares.

I am glad we are in 2025 and not 2005. This gaslighting no longer works.

Our fauj is our protector, they will always be in the right. You are not a Pakistani if you think otherwise.

 

[Meengla]

Ultimately he had a minority govt (due to rigging) and it was used against him. He wasn't allowed to have the control that his support reflected, because they didn't want him to act independently. The heavy rigging of the recent elections is testament to that.

PTI and Imran Khan is not a solution to all our problems, but he was a choice the public made, and it should be respected for better or for worse.

If he was that popular then why didn't he exercise his Const. right to call early elections when rumors were already rife about the rift between him and the Establishment in late 2021? Go back to Dawn.com archives to see the rumors about the rift had started soon after the Fall of Kabul in August 2021. He didn't call the early elections because he was not popular then and his govt was engineered by the Establishment which was refusing to prop him up anymore.
His popularity after being toppled came because he was allowed one damn full year to tap into Pakistanis' anti-Americanism: He masterfully portrayed himself as a victim of 'regime change' by America for one full year and people of Pakistan, as fickle as they are, forgot about the inflation under his rule and started to look at him fondly. Give him one year in power again and the same people will start hating him again!!
So, no, I am not going to allow him the democratic credentials, especially to a guy who couldn't even face an NCM, who makes excuses for the Talibans, who asks Pakistanis to stop sending money to Pakistan, whose sons asks Americans to help Imran as their 'main' hope.
Going forward: He is better off exiled to some 'Saroor Palace' in Saudi Arabia where they will surely shut him up for life!

 

[White Privilege]

I think Imran Khan has totally lost it, and he is now becoming a liability to the state of Pakistan. He is becoming a open threat and calling out to his followers in KPK, which will further create a distrust, and give the knowledge how Pushtoons work in their minds, I wont be surprised if another Terrorist organization takes shape which declare IK the new Khalifa and start bombing Pakistani's all over the place in the name of fighting the evil Punjabi Zalim Army... they have no idea what Zalim Armies can and will do, they have not seen what IDF did in Gaza and India did in Kashmir... IK's support for Afghan Taliban and TTP has gone to a point where TTP might find it more recruits from the already violent prone ethnic group, this is the cruse of Pakistan as country... Zameen mili Banjer aur awaam mili Kanjer.

He has realized the 'dirty politics' needed in this country.Most of frontier people have deep relations or extended families in Afghanistan. Every major party is based on ethnic vote bank, and Imran (or the people running his account) is trying to portray himself 'as Pashtun as possible'.....

 

[Tamerlane]

It wasn't public choice in the begining , it was establishment choice foisted upon the public.... later on when he turned against the establishment , the public got smitten by his ramblings hook nail and sinker .

Yes, the army installed him and then removed him because he didn’t suit them. I believe that Saudi Arabia and America both wanted him out.

The Sharif/Zardari crime families let the army run Pakistan’s foreign policy and concentrate on making money. Which is why the army likes them.

 

[Meengla]

Whether IK was good or bad, it was for the people of Pakistan to decide in elections. Not for some generals, who have no constitutional authority to act like they do.

Did Imran have the legally valid basis to throw out the No Confidence Motion in April 2022 or not? No, he did not. 'Absolutely Not'. If the state of Pakistan had not acted to stop him from getting away with such a flagrant violation of the Const. of Pakistan then whatever little rule of law exists in Pakistan would be gone.
You guys need to stop paddling the rigged 2024 elections as the benchmark and start paying attention to the severe mental flaws of Imran Khan. The guy is a total idiot except to use religion and Pakistanis anti-Americanism. And he masterfully 'sells' himself as the voice of the Pashtuns to continue to fool the people of K-P. He is indeed the ideological oxygen for the Taliban!
As for the corruption of the Zardaris/Sharifs, as far as I can see, Punjab aint' doing that bad. For Zardari, it would please me a lot to have the PPP put into its place but then the Sindhi Separatism will start. Pakistan can't afford that with an India ready to pounce. There are enough battles to fight for Pakistan, both in and out, to add the perennial Sindhi Separatism to the mix.

 

[Tamerlane]

IK is a terrorist sympathizer.

Nothing else compares.

I am glad we are in 2025 and not 2005. This gaslighting no longer works.

Our fauj is our protector, they will always be in the right. You are not a Pakistani if you think otherwise.

I consider Imran Khan to have lots of good and bad points. Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy has been a failure over decades. Maybe it was worth trying a different line of action. Fixing Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan and making it an ally is a good objective.

We need to differentiate between Afghans in general and the terrorists. We can’t lump them all together. We need a carrot and stick approach. A big carrot for ordinary Afghans and a stick for the terrorists. If Indians are supporting the terrorists then hunt them down and kill them. I mean both the terrorist and their Indian handlers.

Pakistan Army should be supported since they’re the only intact institution still remaining in the country. It’s another matter that they have major responsibility for destroying all civilian institutions. Still, they should be supported because they’re the only ones keeping the country together.

 

[alphapak]

it was establishment choice foisted upon the public....

The establishment should be punished for interfering in politics.

 

[Tamerlane]

Did Imran have the legally valid basis to throw out the No Confidence Motion in April 2022 or not? No, he did not. 'Absolutely Not'. If the state of Pakistan had not acted to stop him from getting away with such a flagrant violation of the Const. of Pakistan then whatever little rule of law exists in Pakistan would be gone.
You guys need to stop paddling the rigged 2024 elections as the benchmark and start paying attention to the severe mental flaws of Imran Khan. The guy is a total idiot except to use religion and Pakistanis anti-Americanism. And he masterfully 'sells' himself as the voice of the Pashtuns to continue to fool the people of K-P. He is indeed the ideological oxygen for the Taliban!
As for the corruption of the Zardaris/Sharifs, as far as I can see, Punjab aint' doing that bad. For Zardari, it would please me a lot to have the PPP put into its place but then the Sindhi Separatism will start. Pakistan can't afford that with an India ready to pounce. There are enough battles to fight for Pakistan, both in and out, to add the perennial Sindhi Separatism to the mix.

The no confidence vote was nothing more than an exercise in using money and coercion to force a vote in line with Bajwa’s desire. If it was done in a constitutional manner we wouldn’t have the turmoil we’ve been having. Even army supporters are not claiming that it was legal.

To say that Karachi should be given permanently to the Waderas of PPP otherwise they’ll start a Sindhudesh movement is to condemn Pakistan to permanent economic failure.

Punjab is not as prosperous as people think. Today most of it is under flood. Even Lahore is mostly slums just like Karachi.

 

[Meengla]

The no confidence vote was nothing more than an exercise in using money and coercion to force a vote in line with Bajwa’s desire. If it was done in a constitutional manner we wouldn’t have the turmoil we’ve been having. Even army supporters are not claiming that it was legal.

The NCM was legal. As legal as the ones against Benazir and Shaukat Aziz before Imran. The same political machinations as before but was legal and the two others had to face that otherwise it would be a grave violation of the Cost. of Pakistan. Imran, his Speaker of NA, and the President of Pakistan Alvi should have faced 'high treason' for that alone. You live in Canada and don't know the basics of the Parliamentary democracy??

To say that Karachi should be given permanently to the Waderas of PPP otherwise they’ll start a Sindhudesh movement is to condemn Pakistan to permanent economic failure.

Punjab is not as prosperous as people think. Today most of it is under flood. Even Lahore is mostly slums just like Karachi.

Live in Pakistan to know its ethnic fault lines, its history of ethnic blackmaild and then you might understand why the Establishment has bones thrown to Punjabis, to Pashtuns, to Sindhis in the current setup. It is not a great situation but perhaps the alternates would be even worse. So some mighty Jeffersonian democratic ideals don't apply to a country like Pakistan when a powerful neighbor enemy is ready to strike given any chance!! A country like Sri Lanka went into a fiscal 'default' just a few years ago and that's a country without even a tenth of Pakistan's security challenges. What would happen to Pakistan if that happened to Pakistan??
Pakistan needs to be ruled with an iron fist for the next 15-20 years to allow at least some continuation of policies instead of the stupid power games since Zia ul Haq's death in 1988, which have pushed Pakistan back, and I dont' care who sits on the top as long as that's ensured.

 

[Tamerlane]

Did he even visited Karachi ? If I am correct maybe like once or twice right? This guy was so full of himself and I won't be surprised if he was racist too and look down upon those kaalay paan aur gutka khaane wale Urdu speaking aur Bihari's.

I agree that Imran Khan didn’t do much for Karachi. However, we need to look at the reality on the ground.

Ever since the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, provinces have become semi-independent states. They control everything much more than the federal government. Local governments barely exist. Therefore, almost all levers of power are held by the provincial government. For example, in Karachi planning permission for housing is in the hands of the Sindh Building Control Authority. Everywhere else in the world this is in the hands of local governments.

And, of course, the army enforces Zardari’s rule over Karachi. So, there’s not much the federal government can do unless Karachi is made into a province run by locals.

 

[Tamerlane]

Pakistan needs to be ruled with an iron fist for the next 15-20 years to allow at least some continuation of policies instead of the stupid power games since Zia ul Haq's death in 1988, which have pushed Pakistan back, and I dont' care who sits on the top as long as that's ensured.

Since democracy has failed in Pakistan I agree that the system needs to be changed to something else. China has made great progress with one part rule.

However, even China is run by civilians. They have a 2,000 year history of a merit based civil service for which people have to pass strict exams. Then the best people are promoted based on merit. The army is totally under civilian control.

In Pakistan we have one system on paper, British style democracy, and another system on the ground, military rule.

Any stable system requires merit based civilian rule. Maybe a directly elected presidential system. There must be a way to weed out and disqualify criminals from participating in elections.

Any optimal system would require the army to back off and let honest and qualified civilians run the government. The question is if the army will give up its control for the betterment of the country.

 

[313Ghazi]

If he was that popular then why didn't he exercise his Const. right to call early elections when rumors were already rife about the rift between him and the Establishment in late 2021? Go back to Dawn.com archives to see the rumors about the rift had started soon after the Fall of Kabul in August 2021. He didn't call the early elections because he was not popular then and his govt was engineered by the Establishment which was refusing to prop him up anymore.
His popularity after being toppled came because he was allowed one damn full year to tap into Pakistanis' anti-Americanism: He masterfully portrayed himself as a victim of 'regime change' by America for one full year and people of Pakistan, as fickle as they are, forgot about the inflation under his rule and started to look at him fondly. Give him one year in power again and the same people will start hating him again!!
So, no, I am not going to allow him the democratic credentials, especially to a guy who couldn't even face an NCM, who makes excuses for the Talibans, who asks Pakistanis to stop sending money to Pakistan, whose sons asks Americans to help Imran as their 'main' hope.
Going forward: He is better off exiled to some 'Saroor Palace' in Saudi Arabia where they will surely shut him up for life!

He dissolved assemblies and called for elections. The supreme Court reversed the decision to allow a vote of no confidence.

Whether it was constitutionally valid or not to dissolve assemblies after Vonc motion had been tabled doesn't negate the fact he did exactly what you suggested he should have done - he just did it when his hand was forced.

Do you not see the irony that you question the democratic credentials of an elected PM whilst on the other had state a lack of patronage by the military as a valid reason to call elections?

 

[313Ghazi]

It wasn't public choice in the begining , it was establishment choice foisted upon the public.... later on when he turned against the establishment , the public got smitten by his ramblings hook nail and sinker .

Neutral observers of the electionswhich he won disagree with that assertation.

Yes Noon league had been stripped and weakened, but thst was thier own doing - Imran Khan didn't write fake Qatari letters, not did he forge the Panama Leaks.

 

[krash]

I think since Imran Khan is in prison, his twitter account is being handled by other people.it may not his personal statements as his family is not allowed to see him let alone the outsiders

We should take the statements on his social media handle with the pinch of salt

His meetings aren't completely withheld. His lawyers and party members do meet him. By the looks of it, so does his dealer.

We get his statements all the time, he's claimed about a dozen false flags already. I doubt that some random person is handling the party leader's twitter account and posting out of nowhere.

 

[Meengla]

He dissolved assemblies and called for elections. The supreme Court reversed the decision to allow a vote of no confidence.
Whether it was constitutionally valid or not to dissolve assemblies after Vonc motion had been tabled doesn't negate the fact he did exactly what you suggested he should have done - he just did it when his hand was forced.
Do you not see the irony that you question the democratic credentials of an elected PM whilst on the other had state a lack of patronage by the military as a valid reason to call elections?

Strange that those like you living in the UK and in Canada don't know how the Parliamentary democracy works: Once an NCM is tabled, no dissolution of the assemblies, no calls for 'early elections'. Imran had both options available but, behind the scene, he was begging Bajwa to keep Imran in power by continuing to coerce the likes of MQM--who had publicly stated right after the 2018 elections that they were forced to join hands with Imran.
I am stating facts here which you guys can't deny. It sure dents the democratic credentials of the benchmarks you guys have set for Imran all too focused around the 2024 elections but that's something too bitter for you to swallow.
Also, the 'elected PM' ceases to be 'elected' once a successful NCM is passed, however shady the moves behind the scenes were. Benazir Bhutto faced far worse odds in 1989 but didn't back out of the NCM.
Imran Khan is a coward of highest order who couldn't even face a routine Parliamentary democracy move and yet you and another above you, both living in Parliamentary democratic countries, coming up with excuses for Imran's outright violations of even the basics of democracy??
Pakistan is such a soft, stupid State otherwise it was an open and shut case of 'high treason' when Imran, his Speaker and his President violated the Const. of Pakistan by throwing out the NCM because allegedly America was behind Imran's toppling.

I don't even know why this is even debatable?!! Even Indians here know exactly what I am trying to say.