Demonstration by supporters of the party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 5, 2022 in Lahore (Pakistan) to condemn the attempted attack of which he was a victim on November 3. KM CHAUDARY v AP
The leak of tax data comes at the worst possible time for the Pakistani military hierarchy. They are targeting General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the army’s senior chief of staff, whose mandate expires on November 29. The government is preparing to elect its successor in a highly unstable and tense political climate resulting from the guerrilla war that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his predecessor Imran Khan have been engaged in for the past seven months.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In Pakistan, the war between Imran Khan and his successor has plunged the country into uncertainty
On Monday, November 21, news outlet FactFocus published revelations about General Bajwa’s family, which has been a significant addition since his appointment in 2016. Ahmad Noorani, the journalist behind this investigation, who lives in the United States, compiled the family and in-laws’ wealth statements: Within six years, the clan would have amassed a fortune of 12.7 billion rupees ($60 million) through the purchase of real estate in Pakistan and abroad, in real estate, trade, agriculture. He even owns an oil company based in Dubai.
The government immediately ordered an investigation into this “illegal and unjustified leak of tax information” and blocked the FactFocus website. The military institution occupies a crucial place in Pakistan. Led by 600,000 men and a nuclear arsenal, the Army weighs heavily on running the business and choosing leaders. It is a state within the state, an economy within the economy and involved in all major infrastructure projects.
restore the “rule of law”.
However, these revelations risk fueling the “anti-establishment” rhetoric of Imran Khan, who accuses the civilian and military elites of being “corrupt”, “parasites” and impeding the country’s development. The former prime minister suspects General Bajwa of being an accomplice in his ouster in April after a no-confidence motion was voted on in parliament. Since then he has been howling conspiracy and mobilizing the streets with gigantic rallies to secure early elections.
Cricket’s former glory has not always looked ill on the military, quite the opposite. With their support, he seized power in 2018 and was initially even considered a “puppet” of the army. But relations fell apart when Imran Khan tried to put a relative, InterServices Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed, in place as General Bajwa’s successor. Then the two men disagreed over the name of the head of government of Punjab, a key region. Qamar Javed Bajwa also criticizes Imran Khan for his crusade against the West and its Islamist-populist undertones.
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