Imran Khan’s unceremonious fall from the prime minister’s office has only reinvigorated his devoted supporters.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Teheek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, the recently ousted prime minister, Imran Khan addressed one of the biggest rallies of his career at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan. At the rally Khan reiterated his claim of a U.S.-led “global conspiracy” having led to his ouster on April 9. A day after the Lahore rally, the National Security Committee (NSC) – the civilian members of which Khan explicitly accuses of being accomplices in the “conspiracy” – said Washington had no involvement in the former premier’s removal.
A week after Khan’s departure from the Prime Minister’s Office, the military had issued a statement rejecting the idea of a foreign plot against him. However, such denials mean little to PTI enthusiasts, who have unleashed their angst against the military leadership, including Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, accusing them of “bowing down” to the Western powers.
The Diplomat spoke with a range of participants at the Lahore rally, with a large chunk of them accusing the military leadership of “making the mistake” of allying with Khan’s opponents.
“Bajwa saheb [the army chief] started speaking America’s language when Imran Khan tried to give Pakistan its first truly independent foreign policy. The military leaders are worried about their dollars again,” said Aun*, a social sciences student at a private university.
“Imran Khan was right when he used to...
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