Q&A
America and the Replacement of Its Agents in Pakistan
Question:
(Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was sworn in on Wednesday as Foreign Minister in the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which was formed after a vote of no confidence against Imran Khan. The 33-year-old Bhutto Zardari heads the Pakistan People's Party... Al-Jazeera, 27/04/2022). The government of Shehbaz Sharif, who succeeded his brother Nawaz as the head of the Muslim League party, was sworn in on 19/04/2022, more than a week after the withdrawal of confidence from Imran Khan. The question is: what is the reason for this change? Especially since the Parliament, with the support of the army, had given confidence to Imran Khan at the time of his appointment, and both the League and the People's parties were then out of favor with the army. What has changed? Furthermore, does America have a hand in this matter, given that it has been behind the governance in Pakistan for years?
Answer:
To clarify the answer to these questions, we review the following matters:
First: How Imran Khan came to power:
1- It was the army that gave Khan the power, and Khan ran a government that was uniquely subservient to the generals. Khan has been criticized for being too close to the military since he promised to establish a "New Pakistan" to get rid of corruption and nepotism after winning the 2018 elections. Until recently, Imran Khan was described as one of the Pakistani prime ministers most allied with the military, and was even accused of being their subordinate. Without the army's support, he would not have gained confidence! He announced the formation of his political party, named Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in 1996. In 1997, Khan failed to win even a single seat in the National Assembly during the general elections. It was only in 2013 that his party managed to make an impact in Pakistani politics due to the support of the Pakistani army. His party managed to win 30 seats in the National Assembly, becoming the third largest opposition party after the Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan People's Party. The army then chose to give Khan the chance to win the 2018 elections, but only after Khan agreed to the team of Army Chief Qamar Bajwa to manage the general elections.
2- The army and the intelligence services, under the supervision of Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, worked tirelessly to improve Khan's political prospects. Pakistani intelligence helped arrange his rallies across the country and made him a winning candidate. The army persuaded politicians from other parties to defect and join Imran Khan's party along with their voters. The army intimidated the press to provide positive coverage of the Insaf party while attacking the Muslim League. Security services arrested, detained, and harassed workers of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz wing, and the army worked behind the scenes to deny Muslim League candidates the chance to run...
3- Although Khan's party won 149 seats in the National Assembly, it was still short of the 172 seats required to form a majority government. However, he managed to do so through an arrangement by the army to form a coalition government. The coalition government was the Pakistani army's plan to ensure a way back in case Khan changed his mind and acted against the army. The intelligence services also succeeded in winning over members from the Pakistan People's Party for Khan's government. Consequently, a total of 17 members of Khan's team were appointed under the influence of the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI), and only three members of the cabinet were Insaf movement supporters who had never joined any other party!
Second: After Imran reached the premiership, he provided many services to America:
1- Pakistan's Geo TV quoted Khan as saying that he ("received a letter from US President Trump earlier today 03/12/2018, in which he asked Pakistan to play a role in the Afghan peace talks and help bring the Taliban to the negotiating table"... Russian Sputnik, 03/12/2018). Two days later, Khan met with the US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad, confirming Pakistan's commitment to the American plan in Afghanistan!
2- The former Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the betrayal of Pakistan's rulers, himself included, when he wrote on his Twitter account on 19/11/2018: "Pakistan is still shedding blood for America because we are fighting wars that are not ours. We wasted the values of our religion to make it fit American interests, destroyed our tolerant spirit, and replaced it with fanaticism and intolerance." There is no statement more explicit than this: Pakistan fought a war that was not its own... and spilled the blood of the sons of Muslims for the sake of America... and wasted the values of its religion, Islam, to serve American interests...
3- Similarly, regarding India, he faltered before it and remained silent about its annexation of Kashmir, except for actions resembling fireworks. We said in a Q&A dated 18/08/2019: ("When India announced its recent decision to cancel the special status of Kashmir, Pakistan's position was also lackluster, not exceeding condemnation to save face. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying: 'Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects the announcement issued on Monday 05/08/2019 from New Delhi, and that no unilateral action by the Indian government can change the disputed status. As part of this international dispute, Pakistan will do everything in its power to counter illegal measures'... AFP 05/08/2019"... This is exactly what the Abbas authority and the surrounding Arab countries do, as they condemn and protest the Jewish state's violations of Jerusalem in the blessed land of Palestine without moving armies to fight. Pakistan repeats the same role, condemning without moving the army to fight!")
4- He dealt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is under American hegemony and implements its policies, after he had declared against dealing with it in his election campaign. He had stated that he (would kill himself before taking a loan from the IMF) and then went back on his promise! He began negotiations with the IMF. On July 3, 2019, the IMF approved a $6 billion loan arrangement for Pakistan under the organization's Extended Fund Facility for a period of 39 months...
5- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, reminding of their services to America, stated in an interview with Fox News on Monday 22/07/2019: (that Pakistani intelligence provided the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with information that allowed it to find and kill Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. This was the first visit by the former cricket hero to the White House since his election a year ago in Pakistan, where he met US President Donald Trump on Sunday... Al-Quds Al-Arabi, 23/07/2019)
Third: Tension in the relationship between Imran and the military leadership and subsequently America:
Imran Khan remained subservient to the military leadership and America behind it for about three years of his rule. In the late third year, the relationship between him and Army Chief Bajwa became tense, and subsequently with America due to its support for the army's position... Imran refused to approve the army's nominee for the position of head of military intelligence, Lieutenant General Anjum Nadeem, and delayed the nomination for a long time. This led to unease within the army... (Anjum will take up his new post starting November 20. On October 6, Bajwa appointed Anjum to replace the head of the Pakistani intelligence agency, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed. Anjum was serving as commander of the army corps in the southern coastal city of Karachi, and Bajwa appointed Hameed as commander of the corps in the city of Peshawar this month. Al-Manar TV website, 27/10/2021). Imran Khan was publicly declaring his support for Faiz Hameed's leadership of internal security. Thus, the relationship of Imran's government with the army was marred by tensions following the appointment of Anjum instead of Faiz Hameed, especially since there were widespread speculations that Khan would nominate Hameed to replace Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose second term ends in 2022. Naturally, America is behind the army chief, and thus the decision was made to pave the way for a vote of no confidence against Imran Khan and search for a replacement for him. Some of this information reached Imran Khan, so he tried to fix the matter with the military leadership and agreed to appoint Anjum in place of his friend Faiz Hameed, but the military leadership, with American support, insisted on removing him from the premiership and appointing someone else! The army and America feared that this violation of the army's decision was a sign of escaping from the army's decisions supported by America, hence the insistence on his removal...
Fourth: Imran Khan reacted emotionally, especially since he had provided great services to America as mentioned, and was at the beck and call of the military leadership...
It was as if he considered it unlikely that the army and America would work to isolate him after those services he provided to them, forgetting or pretending to forget that the kaffir states do not allow their agent to breathe outside their air! In any case, he was annoyed by this and launched statements toward America, but too late! Among the statements:
1- ("Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told a group of foreign journalists today, Saturday: 'The move to oust me is a blatant interference by the United States in internal politics.'" Euronews Arabic, 02/04/2022). Local media reported (that Khan received a letter from Islamabad's ambassador in Washington containing a recording in which a high-ranking US official—said to be Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu—said that the United States feels that relations could be better if Khan left power. Arabi Post, 03/04/2022).
2- In a position contrary to Washington's stance on Russia regarding its attack on Ukraine, he refused to condemn the attack and even visited Moscow, appearing alongside Russian President Putin on 24/02/2022, the first day of Russia's war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Pakistani Army Chief Bajwa condemned the attack, explicitly supporting American positions and contradicting Khan's recent statements (The Pakistani Army Chief criticized the Russian war on Ukraine, calling for an immediate halt to what he described as a "great tragedy" being inflicted on a smaller country. Notably, General Qamar Javed Bajwa's criticism of Moscow contradicted what was expressed by his country's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who defended the necessity of Islamabad's neutrality regarding what is happening in Ukraine and refused to criticize the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Al-Hurra, 02/04/2022).
3- In another position, Imran Khan said: ("EU ambassadors wrote a letter demanding us to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine... I want to ask if you have sent any such letter to India." He added: "Are we your slaves.. that we do whatever you say?" The Pakistani official continued, saying: "When India violated international laws in occupied Kashmir, did any of you cut relations with India or stop trade?" Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, 07/03/2022).
Fifth: As we said earlier, Imran Khan did not expect that all his services to the army and America would be of no use to him!
It was as if he did not realize that whoever reaches power with the support of the colonialist kuffar as an agent for them becomes like a chess piece to them, which they move as they wish, and even topple as they wish if he does not fulfill their interests without deviation. This is what happened with Imran Khan! The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 07/04/2022 annulled the decision of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament to refuse to vote on the opposition's proposal regarding the vote of no confidence in Imran Khan's government. It also annulled the President's decision to dissolve Parliament on 03/04/2022 and head toward early elections based on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan, considering it contrary to the constitution and the step null and void. The court asked the Speaker of Parliament to hold a session of Parliament on 10/04/2022, in which the 342-seat Pakistani Parliament voted by a majority of 174 votes for the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan... It is clear that in these events, the army was the one managing things behind the scenes, as senior judges do not take such a decision without the full support of the army chief...
Sixth: The following day, 11/04/2022, the Parliament chose Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister until the date of the general elections in August 2023.
Shehbaz is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, who was previously the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Shehbaz had been the leader of the opposition in the Pakistani National Assembly since 2018, and took over the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League party after his brother Nawaz, who founded the party. In line with Shehbaz's commitment to be at the beck and call of the army and America... they supported him in the election instead of Imran Khan. Accordingly, he did the following:
1- Shehbaz began his policy according to what America wants... He started with a conciliatory tone with India, stating that he is ready for dialogue instead of confrontation. In his first speech, Shehbaz Sharif said: ("Pakistan wants a better relationship with India. But there will be no lasting peace without settling the status of Kashmir. The Prime Minister of India must allow us to resolve the Kashmir issue and dedicate our energies to the prosperity of our two countries"... Sky News, 14/04/2022). Indian Prime Minister Modi responded on his Twitter account, saying: ("I congratulate Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terrorism, so that we can focus on our development and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people"). Note that the Indian Prime Minister is hateful toward Islam and Muslims, incites his Hindu followers against Muslims in India, restricts them, refuses to accept the residence of Muslims in their country India, and restricts their daughters in schools regarding the issue of Sharia dress.
2- News reports mention that Shehbaz Sharif offered to work with the generals if he was elected, stating that the country needs to move forward and overcome differences with the army. Previously, he had criticized the army for its coup against his elder brother, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in 1999. Shehbaz Sharif ran in the elections and lost to Imran Khan. In December 2019, the Accountability Bureau froze 23 properties owned by the two brothers and they were charged with money laundering. In September 2020, Shehbaz was arrested on charges of involvement in money laundering and was released in April 2021 on bail. His reconciliation with the army is one of the factors that brought him to power.
3- If we point to America's haste in congratulating Shehbaz Sharif, where its Secretary of State Blinken said: "The United States congratulates the newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation with the Pakistani government" (Sky News, 14/04/2022), this confirms that America has accepted his reconciliation with the army and his pledge to implement its policy. It agreed to arrange his victory in reaching power after it had restricted him and his brother Nawaz, and now it agreed after he prepared to work with it completely and reconciled with the army loyal to it!
4- The new government announced on 12/04/2022 that it "will engage constructively and positively with the United States to promote shared goals of peace, security, and development in the region." Shehbaz Sharif's office confirmed its relations with America, with the office's statement saying: "We welcome the United States' reaffirmation of long-standing relations with Pakistan... we look forward to deepening this important relationship based on principles of equality, common interests, and mutual benefit"... Psaki said that "the Biden administration supports the peaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles and does not support one political party over another in Pakistan.. we value our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan and always view a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as vital to United States interests.. and that long, strong, and lasting relations will continue under the new leaders in Islamabad" (Voice of America, 12/04/2022).
This confirms that America was behind the fall of its previous agent Imran Khan and the bringing of Shehbaz Sharif, who explicitly declares his readiness to work with America with more vigor and activity than Imran Khan!
Seventh: These agents do not learn from lessons and do not understand. If America topples one of them, they rush to seek its favor and readiness to provide services to it so they can reach power. They do not abandon it; rather, they hasten toward it so it might return them to power if it toppled them! It knows them as being too small to be true ideological political leaders; they are seekers of positions and nothing more. Shehbaz Sharif did not learn a lesson from how America toppled his brother more than once, and consequently, he and his brother were punished with exile. The Ummah needs ideological politicians, people of principle—the principle of the Ummah, Islam, which addresses all matters fundamentally and correctly. They are the ones who will save the Ummah, revive it, and make it a great power, not a state subservient to America. Pakistan is qualified to be a point of support (nuqtat al-irtikaz) for this great state, the Rightly Guided Khilafah state, by the permission of Allah.
إِنَّ فِي هَذَا لَبَلَاغاً لِقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ
"Indeed, in this [Quran] is notification for a worshipping people." (QS. Al-Anbiya [21]: 106)
5th of Shawwal 1443 AH 05/05/2022 CE