i) The document discusses the power dynamics and politics in Pakistan, analyzing recent speeches by Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan. ii) It notes that both leaders change their rhetoric depending on whether they are in power or opposition, and neither focuses on addressing issues facing ordinary Pakistanis. iii) The complex relationships between political institutions, the military, and religion in Pakistan limit true autonomy and reform, and the system serves only to perpetuate corruption and elite interests.

1. THETHETHE
DYNAMICSDYNAMICSDYNAMICS
OFOFOF
POWERPOWERPOWER
POLITICSPOLITICSPOLITICS
INININ
PAKISTANPAKISTANPAKISTAN
ByBy
Sultan Suleman ChaudhrySultan Suleman Chaudhry

2. B A C K G R O U N D :
The so called democratically elected leaders or those
who were imposed on us by the unforeseen forces
and ruled Pakistan not only created more problems
through their inability to act in accordance with the
position and responsibilities they were given via the
constitution but in the process they also prevented
important dialogue and never focused on the more
pressing issues/problems affecting the lives of
ordinary Pakistanis on a daily basis then & now.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

3. CURRENT ISSUES
&
OPPOSITION’S GRAND ALLIANCE (PDM):
Let us first analyse two week old speeches of
Nawaz Sharif and interview of Prime Minister
Imran Khan with anchor Nadeem Malik, which
shows there is a clear pattern that when they
are in opposition or when come into power,
they become so much detached from reality
that oftentimes we wonder are they the same
person; who are they fooling us or
themselves?
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

4. CURRENT ISSUES
&
OPPOSITION’S GRAND ALLIANCE (PDM):
Even at that time when Nawaz Sharif was
blaming the army establishment for brining
Imran Khan into power while at the same his
representative Muhammad Zubair was trying
to get some relief for him in terms of relief in
cases and maybe allow his daughter Maryam
Nawaz to leave Pakistan.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

5. CURRENT ISSUES
&
OPPOSITION’S GRAND ALLIANCE (PDM):
But when there was no positive response
from them, Nawaz Sharif’s anti-army
establishment rhetoric notched up, while
addressing the latest Pakistan Democratic
Movement’s (PDM) rally in Gujranwala that
clearly shows his frustration and anguish not
to get same deals as he used to.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

6. CURRENT ISSUES
&
OPPOSITION’S GRAND ALLIANCE (PDM):
Nawaz Sharif while addressing the PDM rally
via video link from London, named Army
Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI chief Lt
Gen. Faiz Hameed, alleging that they were
responsible for making a state above the state
and for the presence of two governments in
the country, among other
things.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

7. CURRENT ISSUES
&
OPPOSITION’S GRAND ALLIANCE (PDM):
He also accused the establishment of being
behind his conviction and brining Imran Khan
into power.
Previously Nawaz Sharif has not named any
army personnel and now has taken a very direct
line, some believe that of similar to Altaf
Hussain, even though there should be a serious
dialogue on the issue, some of his question
needs answering, if we are to fix the broken
democratic system.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

8. Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the
Tiger Force convention in Islamabad over the
weekend gave a befitting response to Nawaz
Sharif by saying, “the language used by Nawaz
Sharif was against the army and ISI chiefs at a
time when Pakistani soldiers were constantly
sacrificing their lives for the nation”.
IMRAN KHAN’S REACTION
TO NAWAZ SHARIF’S SPEECH:
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

9. AGREE TO DISAGREE:
While I agree to this with Imran Khan on the point
that such a narrative can be used by Pakistan’s
enemies as they have and always try to undermine
the Pakistan Army but I don’t agree calling Nawaz
or anyone else for that matter a traitor.
I also feel that when Imran Khan is addressing any
event, it seems he is still in opposition mode or on
the container.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

10. The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry
AGREE TO DISAGREE:
Because Imran Khan is a national leader and he
needs to act like one, where youngster can follow
his lead with high morals and respect for their
opponents too.
The reason why I say this is that the language
Imran Khan used at the convention is not suitable
too, as he said, “this jackal who ran with his tail
between his legs used such a language for the
army and DG ISI”.

11. AGREE TO DISAGREE:
Such a language and disgust from the top, will
create more fissure and divide in our nation which
is already very much polarised.
Such a rhetoric from both Nawaz Sharif and Imran
Khan might soothe and energies their bases.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

12. SPEECHES
DON'T
SOLVE
ANY
PROBLEMS
But all this does not in any way solve the current
crisis, analyse why we are in this mess and it
diverts attention from the main issues facing the
general public as always.
We all know and even opposition party followers
believe that their parties had joined hands
primarily to get rid of corruption cases and in the
process destabilise the government, that may give
them relief from the cases they are facing in
courts.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

13. PDM’S RALLY’S POSSIBLE
FUTURE OUTCOMES:
i) In the short run the opposition has been able to form
an alliance.
ii) Maryam Nawaz has relaunched her political career &
lead the party.
iii) Show of power to the government and the
military establishment, that they are still a force to
recon with.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

14. THE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT REMAINS
ANSWERING BY THE
OPPOSITION PARTIES IS THAT:
i) How would they keep the momentum and for how long
and at what cost, such as their collective resignations?
ii) What would be a deal breaker for them to give up the
rallies and stop their anti-establishment rhetoric?
iii) Or are they going to go all the way, even if it means
playing in the hands of the enemy and martial law in the
country?
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

15. i) Will the government allow such rallies to continue or
arrest their top leaderships either in NAB related cases
or on charges ofsedition?
ii) Will the government bring some relief to common people
by bringing food inflation down and concentrate on the
job on hand or keep playing in the hands of opposition?
HOW GOVERNMENT
&
ARMY ESTABLISHMENT
REACT IS ALSO
OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE:
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

16. iii) If there is mass agitation by the opposition on
the streets, how will the government handle such a crisis
without creating more chaos and hopelessness in people.
iv) Most importantly how far the military will go backing
the present government if there is mass agitation
and would it give any relief to opposition party leadership
against the wishes of Imran Khan.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry
HOW GOVERNMENT
&
ARMY ESTABLISHMENT
REACT IS ALSO
OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE:

17. THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE
&
WHY WE ARE
ALWAYS BACK TO SQUARE ONE
EVEN AFTER
THIRD SUCCESSIVE DEMOCRATIC RULE
When in opposition or in power, all political parties and their
leadership think or portray that they are messiah of the nation but
none of them tries to address the issues facing common masses
worse yet solve them.
The main reason is that when they come into power, they become
disengaged from people and reality.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

18. THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE
&
WHY WE ARE
ALWAYS BACK TO SQUARE ONE
EVEN AFTER
THIRD SUCCESSIVE DEMOCRATIC RULE
Their focus from day one, shifts on how to prolong their rule and
tighten their grip on the government and its institutions, while
in the process amass wealth for themselves and their political
partners.
We end up with this situation because their values and gaols are
not completely aligned with that of the common people and as
result, we see conflict of interest in every government.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

19. In Pakistan, democracy will not work and deliver
the desired results because the politicians
consistently one after the other give false hopes
and feed the people lies.
Secondly, we don’t choose the politicians but they
are selected for us by unforeseen forces and we in
turn vote for them to get elected.
THE
DYNAMICS
OF
POWER
POLITICS
IN
PLAY
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

20. THE
DYNAMICS
OF
POWER
POLITICS
IN
PLAY
Having said that, even if they come into power via
the ballot, they are not given full autonomy and, in
the process, to make their ‘masters’ happy they go
to extreme lengths and to prolong their rule or
simply go into confrontation mode.
The reason I believe is that the relationships
between power, politics, civil & military institutions
and religion remain deeply entrenched in Pakistan,
where each segment acts as a state within state
that sets its own boundaries according to the
power it withholds.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

21. THE
DYNAMICS
OF
POWER
POLITICS
IN
PLAY
Even the current Prime Minister Imran Khan who
came to power to start a new chapter in the history
of Pakistan, where he would bring about reforms in
all the government departments and reorganise
government machinery but it never materialised.
Because now it seems that Imran Khan is also
representing the elites of Pakistan and who have
become a permanent fixture of his cabinet, in the
name of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister
(SAPM) for all the important ministries.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

22. THE
DYNAMICS
OF
POWER
POLITICS
IN
PLAY
These elites have been part and parcel of every
government, that limit the access and control of all
kind of valuable resources to the general public.
As a consequence, or allow me to say it more
bluntly, over the years they created such a system
and institutions that are by design and default
instruments of corruption.
It is a complete rigged system where everything &
everyone is manipulated and we are given a
controlled democracy (leader/ruler) on a platter
who only serves his ‘masters’ and his own
interests.
The Dynamics Of Power Politics In Pakistan Sultan Suleman Chaudhry