Commenting on the May 9 incidents in his recent vlog, Imran Shafqat said Imran Khan had been assured by his confidantes that in the coming weeks, a rebellion against General Syed Asim Munir will start from within the army itself. Khan has also been been told that General Syed Asim Munir would have a court martial.
Imran Shafqat said that a person close to Imran Khan narrated the context and discussion of this meeting to him.
After the events of May 9, the situation is such that many of Imran Khan's facilitators have given up on him. Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandial also gave relief upon relief to Imran Khan before May 9, but since May 10, the situation is not favourable for either of them. Now it is impossible for the CJ to brazenly help Imran Khan anymore, according to the journalist. However, in this whole matter, it would be incorrect to assume that there are no supporters of Imran Khan in the institutions now.
Shafqat also recalled the events as they unfolded at the Islamabad Judicial Complex on March 18, where he was present with senior officers. Shafqat reveals that the Islamabad SP's phone was tapped by the "relevant authorities", and he was caught with the evidence. Former premier Imran Khan has publicly stated many times that he gets 'inside information' and is "aware of every strategy against him".
Syed Imran Shafqat said that on May 9, Imran Khan was also provided a phone by a policeman through which he was in touch with Mussarat Jamshed Cheema, Aslam Iqbal and Hammad Azhar. The telephone calls made from that phone were also tapped. Obviously, all those materials will be used in the prosecution against Imran Khan and others, Shafqat said.
However, on May 9, when these people were in contact with each other, and with what was happening outside, these people appeared very complacent and nonchalant. The people who were giving Khan the facility to make phone calls, and those who called him to the court in a Mercedes, were assured by someone that, somehow, once Imran Khan would be released and went out on the streets, there would be a revolution in Pakistan, and Gen Asim Munir would be "overthrown".
CJ Bandial had this last card to play, according to Imran Shafqat, and the apex adjudicator also played it for Khan sahib. Imran Khan was kept in police guest house on court order. He was ordered to appear before the Islamabad high court, which again gave Imran Khan relief upon relief. All this was done with the blessings of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, because according to Imran Shafqat, CJ Bandial was convinced by "some important personalities of Pakistan" that he should just rescue Imran Khan from the clutches of NAB and jail, and that once Khan came out, a sea of Pakistanis would come out in jubilation and what was left on May 9 would also be fulfilled.
"These were all the people who are still behind the scenes supporting and facilitating Imran Khan, but this will no longer work," Shafqat cryptically opines.
"Imran Khan himself is confused and many people in the administration of Pakistan have become a victim of his confusion, under the illusion that General Asim Munir is about to be overthrown. Imran Khan does not know the facts or how the military organization functions. They are not satisfied yet and they will do stupid things to senior officials including civil, police and administration," Shafqat lamented. "There are 176 soldiers serving in major and minor positions who are facing a court martial inquiry because of Imran Khan," as per Imran Shafqat.
The people of Pakistan, the army, the chief minister and the prime minister are all looking at how the state will deal with the May 9 episode. Will the government, the prosecution or the army make any concessions with Khadija Shah and General Saad's son-in-law Imran Mehboob? Is the case against the rioters weak or strong? Will they be punished or not? Will there be any discrimination between the treatment of the wealthy elites and the powerful, and the treatment meted out to ordinary citizens?
According to Imran Shafqat, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif asked all these questions from IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, who replied that he did not make the cases himself. Prime minister Shehbaz retorted that, "this is not a small or big case and all these cases have to be supervised by you as the IG". "The IG is responsible for the performance of even a constable," the PM remarked sternly.
In this meeting, all senior Punjab police officials were ordered to be present. The district police officers (DPOs) of various districts who could not attend in person were present via video link.
According to official statistics, nearly 26,000 people came out to protest on May 9 in Punjab, out of which 4,000 to 7,000 people have been arrested. The data of the 26,000 people suspected to be involved in the May 9 protests across the province had been extracted through geo-fencing by government agencies with electronic and technical surveillance capabilities.
Out of the thousands arrested, 471 have been identified in cases of vandalism and arson, and will be tried by the Anti Terrorism courts. Only 41 of these apprehended suspects have been surrended to the army's custody so far, according to Imran Shafqat.
Later, IG Punjab reprimanded all the DPOs, telling them that "the reputation of the state is on the line, and your (DPOs) performance is not satisfactory at all", Imran Shafqat disclosed.