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Imran Khan challenges both the army and America triggering tectonic shift in region's geo-politics

 


Outgoing Prime Minister Imran Khan shatters narrative of Pakistan being ruled by three A’s

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

On May 1, 1960, the geo-political situation suddenly changed.

On that day, a plane flying high over the Soviet Union was shot down by a surface-to-air missile near the city of Sverdlovsk Oblast in the Ural Mountains.

It was till then a top-secret single pilot spy plane that was part of the CIA operations during Cold War. This plane had flown over the Soviet Union many times earlier. It could fly at a height of about 70,000 feet undetected by the radars. The technology advanced and the plane became the target ultimately. Its pilot Francis Gary Powers landed safely into the hands of the Russians.

What is important in the present context is that this CIA plane had taken off from Peshawar in Pakistan and was to land at some base in Norway.

This was the relationship of Pakistan with the USA till sometime back that has now changed when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan landed in Moscow for a 2-day visit coinciding with Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Peshawar was also the base for US operations in Afghanistan after Russians occupied this country.

For years, it used to be said that in Pakistani society that the country is run by three A’s- Allah, Army and America.

Imran Khan can’t challenge Allah.

He has confronted both the Army and America thereby changing this narrative.

None of his predecessors had earlier posed such challenge to these behind the seen powers but known to everybody.

Now a new geo-political power architecture is emerging in this region and the countries that are going to be impacted the most include India.

And in India, the state to which it matters the most is Punjab that shares a long active border with the neighbouring country and has altogether a different relationship with the lands across the Radcliffe Line.

Pakistan Punjab is the native land of the Sikhs while Indian Punjab is their homeland. Guru Nanak, the Founder of the Faith, was born at Nankana Sahib and breathed his last at Kartarpur Sahib, both of which are in Pakistani Punjab. Kartarpur Sahib is now accessible from Indian side by a corridor.

Pakistan played the subtle Kartarpur Sahib Corridor card under Imran Khan.

The non-BJP political parties in Punjab have been demanding the opening up of the trade with Pakistan via this land route. It is pertinent to mention that the trade from Mumbai to Karachi was never impacted despite relationship between India and Pakistan turning tense due to border situation in Kashmir.

The basic issue here is the upsetting of that historical as Imran Khan pushes Pakistan from one extreme to other and both these positions have direct impact on India.

It is too well known that the civil society in Pakistan has its own perception about army interference in the matters that otherwise are not under its domain.

The Pakistan Supreme Court is going into the issue of rejection of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.

Army in Pakistan has always controlled foreign policy but Imran Khan, who himself was perceived to be propped up by the forces, is now dictating his own path and has made the final assertion.

The outcome would be known in the coming days but he has succeeded in upsetting the narrative that has dictated Pakistan for decades.

At another level, it is to be seen which would be the next US base in this region in place of Peshawar for such operations.

 

 

 


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