At the
height of political unrest in Pakistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US
representative for Afghanistan peace affairs, has said that stability will not
return to this country without the resignation of General Munir Asim, the Chief
of Staff of the Pakistani Army.
This came in a series of Twitter messages Khalilzad wrote on May 12.
Khalilzad said that although the
decision of the Islamabad court on the temporary release of Imran Khan can
prevent a disaster in Pakistan, without the resignation of Munir Asim and the
holding of elections at a certain time, the economic, political and security
crisis in this country will be worse.
Khalilzad's remarks came after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the political unrest with the violent protests including attacks on military installations. In Lahore, Military Commander's residence was set on fire.
Khalilzad says: "General Munir did his job wrongly and alienated the people. "He has also lost the support of many senior Pakistani officials."
According to Zalmi Khalilzad, Mounir Asim, the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army, has lost his position at the global level. He asked Asim to resign as a "patriot".
Although the government of Pakistan has not said anything about Khalilzad's new statements, in the past the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country said that they do not need Khalilzad's theories.
Since Pakistan's founding 75 years ago, the military has kept a steady hold on the country's politics and foreign policy, carrying out three successful coups and ruling the country directly for several decades. Even under civilian governments, military leaders have kept an iron grip on power, ushering in politicians they favored and pushing out those who stepped out of line. Few dared any open defiance.
The political crisis and protests in Pakistan in recent days, in addition to the deaths of nearly 60 protesters, have injured dozens of people and sent hundreds of others to prison.
Govt supporters call for chief justice to quit over releasing Imran Khan
Tellingly, more than 20,000 supporters of Pakistan's government converged on the country's Supreme Court on Monday, in a rare challenge to the nation's judiciary. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the chief justice for ordering the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case.
According to the Associated Press, the Pakistan Democratic Alliance, a grouping of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, called for the protests. The alliance was behind the joint action to oust Khan in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022.
Khan's dramatic detention from a courtroom in Islamabad last week sparked outrage among legions of his supporters, who set buildings and vehicles ablaze across major cities and attacked military facilities. At least 10 people died in pitched battles with police. Dozens were injured and thousands of Khan's supporters from his Tehreek-e-Insaf party were arrested.
Last week's violence subsided when the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, intervened and ordered Khan to be freed. Bandial criticized the way Khan was arrested and said that his detention was unlawful. But the government and its allies have accused the top judge of bias.
