Pakistan¡¯s military-backed establishment faces a dilemma: The more they seek to boot Imran Khan out of politics, the greater the risk he becomes even more popular.
Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in April, Khan has sought to rally his supporters in the world¡¯s fifth-most populous country to hit the streets and push for a fresh national vote. The campaign has been paying off lately, with Khan¡¯s party winning key by-elections.
The former cricket star has also drawn tens of thousands of people to rallies in which he rails against Pakistan¡¯s military, which has ruled the country for about half of its history and retains outsized influence over elected governments. Over the weekend, Khan gave a fiery speech in the capital Islamabad lashing out at senior police officials and a judge who were involved in the arrest of one of his aides.
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