By Justice Markandey Katju–
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman, Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own)
I had a long talk on WhatsApp a short while back with a brave and upright Pakistani journalist who has been staying for some time in the United States.
He is a strong supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan (as I am too), and for this reason, several false criminal cases of sedition, terrorism, etc, have been instituted against him in Pakistani courts at the instance of the PDM government led by Shahbaz Sharif.
Cases have also been instituted in Pakistani courts against his wife who is in Pakistan, and against his properties in Pakistan.
He said that the Pakistan government is even trying to target him in America, and he is in a terrible situation. He does not dare to go back to Pakistan where he will be immediately arrested and tortured.
Despite this persecution, he is bravely fighting against the reign of terror unleashed by the Pakistan establishment (meaning the Pakistan army and the PDM government) through his video talks (many appearing on Twitter), speeches and articles.
I told him not to be despondent, as the situation will soon change.
I explained that the Pakistan establishment is hostile to him because the US govt is presently hostile to Imran Khan, whom he supports, and the Pakistan Establishment does the bidding of its US masters.
The real ruler of Pakistan is its army, and the Pakistan army does what the US Govt wants.
This is because almost all Pakistan army generals are beholden to the US Govt as their sons/daughters and/or other close relatives have been given high paying jobs in the World Bank, IMF or some US multinational corporation, or admission with full scholarship in some Ivy League University like Harvard or Yale (former Pakistan army chief Gen Zia ul Haq’s son Ijaz ul Haq was studying for an MBA degree in Southern Illinois University when his father died in a plane bomb explosion in 1988, and he was later appointed on a high paying job in Bank of America in Bahrain).
The US administration is hostile to Imran Khan because he had given some statements against the US Govt in the past.
But this attitude is bound to change.
This is because, like all governments, Washington too looks after its economic interests, and it is in its interest to have stability in Pakistan. If the present instability and chaotic conditions in Pakistan continue, it will damage American interests, and it may well spill over to neighboring countries, too.
US firms have huge investments in this region, and these will get endangered if the present chaos in Pakistan continues.
The only one who can give stability to Pakistan is Imran Khan, as 80-90% Pakistanis support him (as all opinion polls indicate, and as is evident from YouTube videos).
Pakistani people regard him as honest, while the PDM leaders are perceived as a gang of thieves (as evident from the Panama Papers and other credible evidence). Hence he alone is acceptable as a leader by Pakistanis, and will win by a thumping majority whenever elections are held for the Pakistan National Assembly, and will become the Prime Minister again.
Very soon, the US administration will realise this, and in its own interest withdraw its hostility to Imran Khan (just as they withdrew their hostility to Narendra Modi, after earlier denying him a visa), and allow him to become Prime Minister again.
The Pakistan army will follow suit and cease its hostility towards Imran Khan, and the political scenario in Pakistan will totally change.
I told the Pakistani journalist with whom I spoke that then he can safely and comfortably come back to Pakistan, and all cases against him, his wife and his properties will be withdrawn. He need not worry.
