IPOR Executive Director interviewed on the current political situation.
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s military is carrying out a broad clampdown on the opposition and media, as the powerful institution asserts its authority more aggressively than it has in decades.
Thousands of supporters of opposition leader Imran Khan have been arrested after staging violent protests at military sites. When suspects couldn’t be found, family members or domestic staff were picked up in some cases, according to human rights groups. More than 80 people are facing trials in military courts, which aren’t open to the public, government officials said.
The military has warned TV news stations not to show pictures of Khan or use his name and put pressure on them to stop reporting on the country’s economic woes, media executives said. Instead, many are airing a near-constant stream of images of the arson and vandalism that took place at military sites following Khan’s May 9 arrest on corruption charges. Khan had branded military leaders traitors and accused them of being behind his ouster as prime minister last year.
“Imran Khan would have been in the driving seat for the election. But he overplayed his hand, and the establishment got a chance to cut him down to size,” said Tariq Junaid, executive director of the Institute for Public Opinion Research, a local pollster.
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