New Delhi: In the last phase of his rule, Imran Khan has done such a shame to the Pakistani army, which has never happened before in the history of the country. In fact, after the tension that started between the Pakistani Army and the Imran government over the appointment of Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief in 2021, Imran created an atmosphere against the army which was not created even then. It was when Bangladesh was carved out of Pakistan.
This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that a large section of the country is not only speaking openly against its own army but has come down on abusive language. Meanwhile, there are reports that there has been a split in the army on the issue of Imran. One section of the army stood with Imran and the other against him.
Army’s pro-Imran section
Imran Khan wanted to appoint his close former ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed as Army Chief. Imran and Faiz’s jugalbandi was such that when the US Army left Afghanistan, Faiz went to Afghanistan at the behest of Imran without informing his boss General Bajwa. This closeness and indiscipline of Faiz with Imran did not bode well for Army Chief Bajwa and he replaced Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed in October 2021 and replaced him with Lieutenant General Anjum as the ISI chief. After being removed from the ISI, Faiz Hameed was made Peshawar Corps Commander. Imran was enraged by the removal of his favorite and the PMO did not issue an official notification for the appointment of Lieutenant General Anjum for three weeks. Well, Imran did not go in front of Bajwa and Faiz had to go to Peshawar.
Understand the role of Faiz in Imran Khan’s politics in such a way that Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, had alleged from an open platform that it was through Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed that Imran used to implicate his opponents in false cases. In fact, there is a very large section of the Pakistan Army, which has grown up with the thought that all politicians are thieves and their aim is to loot the country. In such a situation, Imran’s speeches against corruption are very much liked by him, while there are many corruption cases against the Imran government itself. Apart from this, Imran’s greed to get a creamy position after his promotion and job has also created a ‘Pro-Imran’ faction in the army. The center of this group remains Peshawar and from here efforts are being made to create an atmosphere in favor of Imran by giving a special briefing to his friends in the media. According to the allegations, how to run the campaign against Imran’s opponents on social media, when to run, and who will run it all is decided from here.
Anti-Imran section of the army
The Pakistani army has clearly said, quoting General Qamar Javed Bajwa, that he will take retirement on 22 November 2022. DG-ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the Chief of Army Staff will neither demand nor accept the extension. After Bajwa retires, the senior-most serving officer in the Pakistan Army will be Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza. In becoming the Army Chief, he is competing with Lt Gen Azhar Abbas, Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood Raja, and Imran’s favorite Lt Gen Faiz Hameed.
Apart from Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, no one likes General Imran, behind which Imran has his own actions. The way Imran has created a big drama against America, he has made this section of the army uncomfortable, because this section considers America as its partner. Apart from this, Imran’s move to give priority to Faiz Hameed over seniors also angered everyone else. However, after coming to power, Imran was seen clarifying that all he wanted was for Faiz Hameed to continue his work as ISI Chief during the difficult winter season because infiltration from Afghanistan could increase under the cover of winter.
Imran also said that he never had any problem with the army in his entire tenure as neither he nor the army ever interfered in his affairs. Imran also said that it was never his intention to bring an army chief of his choice. Experts are not considering this rhetoric of Imran as anything more than the efforts being made for damage control. Faiz Hameed is considered an outsider in the inner circle of the big generals of the Pakistani army and this faction does not want to leave any stone unturned to hide Imran and his favorite Faiz.
What will happen next!
Imran Khan feels that right now there is public support for him, that is why he is trying his best that elections should be held in Pakistan by July. Imran’s first objective on coming to power is to make the army chief of his choice, but the real danger will be when Imran loses the elections because according to experts he can start dharna by calling these elections fake and throw the country in the fire of civil war. can. Along with the opposition, General Bajwa is also the target of Imran. Imran along with his people is engaged in a systematic campaign to defame both the army and Bajwa. There are two parts of this campaign- first picketing and secondly defaming by campaigning on social media.
Imran’s supporters are not only openly shouting slogans against the Pakistani army and Bajwa in Pakistan and abroad, but also making posters and hitting them with slippers. Similarly, efforts are on to make Bajwa a villain of the Pakistan Army on social media.
The situation is that Pakistan is divided into language, culture, faith and geographical parts and is now divided into two pieces even on the issue of the army. Imran Khan is in the role of Bhasmasur, but Imran will burn only himself or his party or will burn the whole of Pakistan, speculations are on it.
