by Ayaz Amir (shared by Khalid Sharif): In the fog of Pakistan’s political battlefield, where uncertainty reigns supreme and the stakes are ever rising, one man remains at the center of it all: Imran Khan. Imprisoned, yet unyielding, he watches as the country teeters on the brink. The question that haunts many minds today is not just about what Khan will do next, but what happens if he finally loses patience.
We must start by considering the morning when the doors of the jail creaked open, and Azam Swati was ushered inside. What transpired in those tense moments? Who orchestrated this sequence of events, and to what end? These questions, while important, miss the larger picture. The real story is not about who said what or who made which promises, but about the choices that lie before Imran Khan—and, more critically, what those choices mean for Pakistan.
Imagine, if you will, that Imran Khan, sitting in his prison cell, decides that enough is enough. What if he issues the call that the rally must go ahead, no matter the cost? It’s a scenario that sends shivers down the spine of the ruling elite and the military establishment alike. For if the rally proceeds, the consequences could be catastrophic. The emotional fervor of his supporters would clash violently with the government’s iron fist. Tear gas and batons would fly, stones would be hurled, and in the midst of this chaos, lives could be lost.
But it doesn’t end there. The ripple effects of such an event would not be confined to the streets of Islamabad or Lahore. The entire country could descend into chaos. The delicate balance of power that has been so painstakingly maintained would be shattered. And here lies the great irony: those who warn of martial law as a consequence of such unrest fail to recognize that the military itself is terrified of this outcome.
The military, after all, has long held its grip on power through force and coercion. It has been the hammer to the people’s anvil, and in the process, it has bred deep resentment and anger among the masses. This is the army’s greatest fear: that the very control it has so ruthlessly maintained could become its undoing. For if the people rise, if the streets are filled not with protest but with rebellion, the escape routes for those who have long ruled from behind the scenes will be closed.
This brings us back to Imran Khan. It would be easy for him to ignite this spark. A single call from his prison cell could set the country ablaze. Yet, time and again, Khan has chosen restraint. He has offered olive branches in the form of negotiation committees, judicial commissions, and postponed rallies. These are not the actions of a man seeking to bring the system down in flames but of one who is still searching for a way to save it—even as that same system seeks to destroy him.
And yet, the military remains blind to this reality. Hafiz Sahib, and others like him, cling to the misguided belief that a few well-placed speeches or a show of force can turn the tide in their favor. But they are surrounded by sycophants who tell them only what they wish to hear. They fear losing their thrones more than they fear the collapse of the state. They refuse to accept defeat, even as it stares them in the face. But what are they waiting for? What disaster do they believe will somehow save them, and at what cost to the nation?
Imran Khan is a man who has shown remarkable patience, but patience is not infinite. The day may come when he decides that enough is enough, that the time for restraint is over. If that day comes, those who have pushed him to this point will have only themselves to blame for the consequences.
In the end, this is not just about Imran Khan. It is about the future of Pakistan. The military and the ruling elite must understand that they cannot keep playing this dangerous game forever. The stakes are too high, the risks too great. If they do not learn this lesson soon, it will be taught to them in the harshest way possible—by the very people they have sought to control.
Imran Khan has offered them a way out, time and again. But the clock is ticking, and the window of opportunity is closing. The question now is not whether Imran Khan will blink, but whether those in power will finally see the writing on the wall before it’s too late.
