Pakistan in turmoil: Will history of dictatorship repeat itself amid political crisis?

Pakistan has been on the edge since the Opposition parties earlier this month submitted the no-confidence motion before the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat, alleging that the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government was responsible for the economic havoc and the spiralling inflation in the country.

The political temperature in Islamabad has been slowly reaching a boiling point in the wake of the no-trust vote. While Imran Khan and his ministers have claimed that everything is fine, the Opposition is confident of getting support from over 172 members in the 342-member National Assembly. 

The General Qamar Javed Bajwa-led Army had earlier said that the institution wants to 'stay out of politics' and will play no role in the current situation. However, reports claimed that Army's top bass had asked Khan to step down after the two-day Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting on March 23.

Amid this, the role of the Pakistani Army will be crucial. The main question is will the army again try to manufacture a mandate for either itself or its henchmen.

Pakistan dictatorship: Will history repeat itself?

Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the first army dictator brought a system called Basic Democracy, in which 80,000 people were elected by ubiquitous ballot and then went on to create an electoral college to elect the president. Notably, it happened to be himself. 

The second dictator General Zia-ul-Haq tried a range of things from the creation of a party-less parliament in 1985 to the Islamisation of Pakistan in an attempt to control democracy. Zia also rigged referenda to get himself elected as president.

General Pervez Musharraf tampered with the constitution of Pakistan and introduced regulations to eliminate political opponents in the guise of devolution of power, bringing educated leadership and curbing corruption.

Musharraf became the Pakistani Army's chief in 1998. He staged a coup in October 1999, expelling Sharif's democratically elected government, and was President from 2001 to 2008.

What if Imran Khan fails to clear no trust vote?

If the PTI government fails to clear the no-confident motion by not being able to demonstrate the majority, Imran Khan will have to step down. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has already named Nawaz Sharif's brother Shehbaz Sharif as the prime ministerial candidate for Pakistan.

At present, the Pakistani Army has claimed that it is taking a neutral stand and wants to stay out of politics.