Unrest in Pakistan is not good news for Delhi as this instability may lead to a worsening of bilateral relations. Given the circumstances, it won’t be surprising to see Islamabad raise its anti-India propaganda up a few notches to divert the attention of the people who are devoid of basic amenities. Equally concerning is the fact that Pakistan is one of the very few nations in possession of nuclear weapons which could potentially fall into dangerous hands if the situation continues to worsen.
The recent turmoil in Pakistan is an unfortunate consequence of a fall out between the Army and the political leadership led by Imran Khan. The former cricket captain’s ascent to power was heavily backed by the Pakistani army and he managed to retain power as long as he was loyal to the army. But things started changing fast when the relationship between the two turned sour and Imran was removed as the Prime Minister of the country. Since then, Imran has been at loggerheads with the Army. To silence Imran, the Army with the help of the present day puppet government in the country tried to put Imran behind bars. But the amount of public support that Imran has managed to generate even after being arrested has surprised everyone.
Many observers have expressed that Imran has checkmated the Army by generating enough popular support behind him, which none of his predecessors have been able to do when faced with a similar situation. But the matter is not simple, the Army is waiting to strike back at the right moment to keep its hegemony intact in Pakistan. Here, Delhi has every reason to be worried as like always the Pakistani Army may indulge in proxy war with renewed vigor against India in an effort to pacify the agitated citizens of the country.
Since its birth as a nation, Pakistan has rarely cared for peace and prosperity and today it is no match for the countries which were established around the same time. As a matter of fact, the country not only faces a political crisis, but also, a debilitating economic situation. The country has not achieved any success in eliminating poverty and has not made much progress in its health or education sectors, which are essential ingredients for nation building. The situation has further worsened due to continuous power struggle between the Army and the political leadership. The Army has never allowed any political leader with a mass support base to come up and has always promoted rootless leaders who cannot defy the Army. On their part, the political leaders too appeared to be enthusiastic to get a taste of power, rather than building a support base from the grass root level. Clearly, the absence of a strong political leadership has caused problems for the nation as army generals have always enjoyed unlimited power without being answerable to the people. It appears that the wheels are being turned back in Pakistan.
