Imran Khan conducted a hate campaign to overthrow a duly elected government, leveling unproven charges and resorting to offensive language. While his main target was Nawaz Sharif, he had no shortage of expletives while calling out leaders of other parties also. After coming to power, Khan turned his guns on the independent media which had started to point out PTI government’s shortcomings. The PTI’s social media trolls used foul language against reporters, private TV anchor persons and some of the media owners. Women journalists too were subjected to a dirty smear campaign. Instead of reining in their social media team, the PTI leadership encouraged them to continue to intimidate independent critics. The country’s existing legal framework provides ample space for action against hate mongers. But law enforcement agencies looked the other way providing confidence to PTI’s official and unofficial social media operators that they were free to go to any extreme to defame and threaten PTI’s critics.
Finding that he had lost majority in the NA after defections and crucial allies joining hands with the opposition, Imran Khan used tricks to stop the holding of the no confidence move. A pliant Deputy Speaker ruled out the no-trust resolution while a loyalist President dismissed the NA on PM’s advice. Khan’s frustration knew no bounds when the SC set aside both moves leading to the fall of PTI govt. As his expectations of last minute help from the establishment also dashed, signal was given to party’s social media trolls to launch a smear campaign against the SC judges and army figures.
The Formation Commanders’ Conference has taken note of propaganda campaign in the wake of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ouster. The conference called it an attempt to divide ‘institution and society’. The huddle expressed complete confidence in the leadership’s “well-considered stance to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law”.
Some of those supposedly involved in the campaign have been nabbed while a hunt is on for others. The issue is too grave to be ignored. The accused should be taken to normal courts which should decide their cases strictly according to the law.
