Imran Khan: The conspiracy against me

Pakistan is familiar with political unrest. No prime minister in its independent history has completed a full term in power; some of its most popular leaders have been assassinated or executed. Even so, the events of last month were extraordinary.

On 9 May, in response to the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on corruption charges, thousands of protestors stormed buildings belonging to the country’s all-powerful military and set the army headquarters alight. More than 40 people died in the clashes with the army and police, and approximately 10,000 officials and supporters of Khan’s party, Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI), were arrested. The country was on the edge of anarchy.

‘It’s a reign of terror right now. It’s something unprecedented in our history that is happening,’ says Khan, who speaks to me over Zoom from his home in Lahore’s Zaman Park. ‘There has been an entire dismantling of the democratic structure in Pakistan. It’s not just that many of my supporters are being shoved in jail, but the media is also totally muzzled.’

Our connection is somewhat patchy thanks to a cyclone barrelling down on Pakistan’s western coast but Khan, dressed in navy blue salwar kameez and clutching a string of Islamic prayer beads known as subhah, remains calm and assertive throughout.

Until last month’s chaos, Khan, 70, who was deposed as prime minister in April last year, was predicted to triumph in October’s general election. Now he has entered a ruthless new phase in his struggle with Pakistan’s establishment – the military and intelligence services – who fear that, if re-elected, he will attempt to erode their power and could try to jail his own enemies.

Relations between Khan and the establishment were once rosy. As a former cricket captain who led Pakistan’s team to their sole World Cup victory in 1992, he was a national hero.