Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Imran Khan's U-turn from military's man to army critic

The former prime minister’s arrest this week marks an escalation in the duel between Khan’s staggering popular appeal and the army’s vast influence

Imran Khan's U-turn from military's man to army critic

Former prime minister Imran Khan has gone from being the chosen one to a thorn in the side of Pakistan's military - long considered the nation's political power brokers.

His arrest this week - after delivering another broadside against a senior intelligence officer - marks an escalation in the duel between Khan's staggering popular appeal and the army's vast influence.

"What he has done is say the quiet bits out loud and has broken down some of the taboos around directly criticising Pakistan's establishment, and its military specifically," said analyst Elizabeth Threlkeld at the US-based Stimson Center.

"Now that that genie is out of the bottle it's proving quite difficult - if not impossible - to put it back in," she said.

Pakistan's military has staged three coups since independence in 1947, ruled the nation directly for more than three decades, and continues to wield huge influence in domestic politics.

When Khan rose to office in 2018 after winning over an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of Pakistan's two major parties, many political leaders and analysts said it was with the blessing of the military establishment.

Likewise, his ousting last April via a parliamentary no-confidence vote came only after a falling out with the top brass of the world's sixth-largest army.

Broken convention

The relationship began to sour following Khan's push for more of a say in foreign policy, as well as a stand-off with the military over a delay in rubber-stamping the appointment of a new intelligence chief.

But in his campaign to return to power, the 70-year-old has broken with political convention and directly criticised both retired and serving officers.

Widely popular Khan "doesn't feel beholden to the same benefactors" previous prime ministers might have, said Threlkeld.

After the former cricket superstar was ousted, his successor Shehbaz Sharif appointed a new army chief - widening the rift with Khan by selecting a man who had famously fallen out with him while he was in office.

Sharif's government also drafted new regulations to shield the military from criticism.

In February, Islamabad proposed punishing those who ridicule the army with up to five years in prison. In March, media reports suggested they were also taking measures to rein in critique on social media.

Nonetheless, Khan steadily ratcheted up his attacks over the past year, culminating in explosive allegations following a November assassination attempt, which saw Khan shot in the leg while on the campaign trail.

Khan alleged a senior intelligence officer, Major-General Faisal Naseer, was in cahoots with Sharif in plotting the attack.

"Perhaps he thought that by building pressure on the army, by criticising the army, the army will pull back from supporting the present government," said analyst Hasan Askari.

"It's a risky strategy," he said.

Day in court


Khan has never offered proof of his claims regarding the assassination plot.

This weekend, he repeated the allegations, causing the army's public relations wing to raise the stakes with a rare public rebuke, branding his remarks "fabricated and malicious".

A day later, Khan was swarmed by paramilitary Rangers and arrested at Islamabad High Court as he appeared to face a graft case.

"The timing of the arrest is striking," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.

"The senior army leadership is uninterested in repairing the rift between itself and Khan, and so with this arrest it's likely sending a message that the gloves are very much off."

Pakistan protests over Imran Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of former prime minister Imran gather beside a burning water tanker during a protest against the arrest of their leader, in Karachi on May 9, 2023. (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have raised the stakes by attacking military targets - torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and attacking the entrance to the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.

In Peshawar, a mob razed the Chaghi monument - a mountain-shaped sculpture honouring the location of Pakistan's first nuclear test, while several memorials to service members killed on active duty were also vandalised.

On the streets of major cities, social media footage showed some PTI supporters attacking army vehicles on security duty, attempting to beat soldiers with sticks.

"The long-term future of democracy at this stage appears to be very uncertain in Pakistan," Askari warned.

(AFP)

More For You

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

FILE PHOTO: A mother and daughter sit atop the Covid memorial wall on September 9, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

THE Covid inquiry has started examining how the pandemic affected care services for older and disabled people, with families describing the crisis as one of the worst failures of the pandemic.

Nearly 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022, with many deaths happening in the first weeks of the outbreak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media during a visit to RAF Valley, on Anglesey in north-west Wales, on June 27, 2025. PAUL CURRIE/Pool via REUTERS

Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday (29) they were appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

During their show on Saturday (28), the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defense Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less