Imran pushes Pakistan to the edge: WSJ

WASHINGTON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s vainglory and taste for brinkmanship could tip an already turbulent Pakistani nation into chaos, Wall Street Journal reported.

Parliament ousted Khan in April and cleanse Pakistan of corruption and misrule. His legion of passionate supporters hope his continuing confrontation with the establishment will allow him to return to power.

The latest flashpoint came last week after a failed assassination bid interrupted a protest march by Khan and his supporters to pressure the government to call early elections, which aren’t due for about a year. The shooting killed one person and wounded Khan in the leg. Authorities say they quickly arrested the would-be assassin, a religious zealot.

Khan blames the attack on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and another official. Sharif and Sanaullah have denied Khan’s charges.

Khan’s public tirade against Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaulla suggests a political vendetta, says Aqil Shah, a Pakistan expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Angered by the shooting, Khan’s supporters have blocked traffic and clashed with police in Lahore and Rawalpindi. On Thursday, PTI resumed its march to Islamabad, without the injured Mr Khan. Since his ouster, Khan has called on Shehbaz Sharif for early elections, accusing him of delaying.