Pakistanis who want free fair elections and a democratic system that has accountability may have to pay with their blood it appears, after the recent incident of a PTI rally in Zaman Park where a party worker Ali Bilal known affectionately as Zille Shah was beaten to death by Lahore police and his body dumped in the street.

According to many observers the attack in Zaman Park looked like a scene from occupied Kashmir, where unarmed PTI supporters, men and women were attacked with batons, water and tear gas, while their cars with children inside had their windows smashed by Lahore police and undercover security personal. A video released by Dr Fatima K shows the horrific torture PTI members are suffering at the hands of Army personal and ISI.

After Pakistan’s courts had set the election date for end of April this year, the situation is Pakistan with regards to Imran Khan has become dangerous, especially if we see the actions of the care-taker government who have already imposed Section 144 which bans political rallies as well as any TV coverage of Imran Khan or his speeches. Raising the question how far will the army and Sharif’s government go to retain their position knowing full well if elections were held the country will bring khan back into power

A few scenarios have been put forward: Khan will be eliminated, and if that does not work, they may intensify a policy of manufacturing chaos by funding terrorist groups which Washington used in the Middle East and Pakistan during the war on terror, delaying not only elections but may give justification to the Army to establish Marshal Law.

Khan’s life is in danger, there is no doubt about that, the failed attempt by three shooters to kill him last November, led to only one being caught by the public, the other two are missing and authorities haven’t found out whose orders the shooters were carrying out.

The army nor the government has provided any security, but it appears it’s the love and respect of the people of Pakistan who are providing the security. Khan’s main security are PTI volunteers like Ali Bilal who was killed during the PTI rally by Lahore police through beatings and torture. Bilal was part of a group of dedicated PTI workers who have camped outside Khan’s house and escort him protecting him from snipers with their bodies.

Lucky Shah who is City vice President PTI Faisalabad explains: “We are ready to give our lives for Khan Saab, he is the only person who can pull Pakistan out of poverty and corruption. Our biggest worry at present is they have over 70 trumped up FIRs (First Information Report) against khan and want him in court where we may not be able to be with him, where the police have many times in the past conveniently turned the cameras off to carry out extra judicial killings”.

This “imported government” was installed after, as Craig Murray, ex British Ambassador and human rights activist tweets “the CIA’s deposing of Imran Khan… for his opposition to the US drone campaign operating within and from Pakistan” which he argues is the most “under-reported” story. Understandably under-reported as those involved did not want a closer examination of how the CIA coup was carried out in collusion with the Pakistani army chief Bajwa, members of PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) and the judiciary.

While Russia, China and Iran supported the claims of millions of Pakistanis who came out in the streets in protest shouting “no to imported government” General Bajwa responded by announcing ‘no regime change operation was carried out against Imran Khan,’ and helped install a government whose members including Prime Minister Sharif had been indicted for corruption and money laundering.

The Army which has close association with the US and UK, especially since many Army personal have received their training from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, were just as uneasy as Washington with Khan’s independent foreign policy, which involved closer economic cooperation with China and Russia and an energy pipeline project which would have meant discounted gas and wheat supplies for Pakistanis. Leonid Savin Geopolitical analyst argues there is a campaign to weaken Pakistan an “intentional promotion of  the attrition of Pakistan” while India is benefiting from cheap Russian oil and its economy is growing.”

What is more interesting is India was not bullied as Pakistan to join the US’s hybrid war in Ukraine against Russia. As Seymour Hersh’s report exposes that gaining support for Ukraine against Russia was so important for the US that they blew up Nord Stream to prevent Russian gas reaching Europe. The US with its European partners have thrown billions of dollars of weaponry and funds to prop up the war in Ukraine against Russia and are bullying other countries to join them.

It looks like not much bullying was needed where the Army and Sharif’s government was concerned, the first objective after deposing Khan was fixing “ties with the united states” and this is evident by two factors, firstly the IMF has been reportedly strutting around Islamabad inventing new ways of how to tighten the economic strangle hold on Pakistanis; the other factor which should be viewed as shame for the country is that the Army has returned back to serve US interests by supplying weapons through intermediary countries like Germany and Canada for Ukraine. Khan’s crime had been that he had refused to allow further US bases in Pakistan or denounce Russian’s special operations in Ukraine.

General Bajwa’s economic gains at a time when millions of Pakistanis can’t afford food, gas and electricity, as well as the CIA coup, has had a detrimental affect on the reputation of the army elite and the judiciary. Their actions have increased the popularity of Imran Khan and made him a force to be reckoned with once again.

As Einstein once stated “in the midst of every crisis lies a window of great opportunity” it appears that window of opportunity has arrived in Pakistan. Khan’s fight against corruption and “we are not slaves” has united Pakistanis around the world and also put the role of the army under the spotlight .

Khan’s popularity amongst the people of Pakistan has grown through social media which the authorities cannot hinder or monitor. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the credit goes to the many youtubers with thousands of followers who are successfully carrying on the battle to reinstall Khan.

Two most popular youtubers have added another dimension in this battle by highlighting the corruption in the army and the judiciary, as both happen to be ex-army officers who have a reputable record of having served in many battles, Major Adil Raja (a soldier speaks) and Major Haider Mehdi (Free democratic Pakistan).

The army according to Major Mehdi is the “sacred cow”, he argues the “Generals and the judiciary are the holy cows of the country and both are an unholy alliance of two holies.” Mehdi and Major Raja are voicing the feelings of the people of Pakistan with millions watching their videos aired every day. Both majors revealed through army sources the plot to “eliminate Imran Khan”. Both have received death threats and the only reason they can speak out is because they are based outside of Pakistan. Unlike the 80 year old retired general who voiced his opinion regarding the dire situation of the country and was taken from his home and hauled into prison.

However, one of the most disturbing facts was highlighted by both Majors, about how closely the army including the late Pervez Musharraf worked with the Americans to abduct Pakistani citizens, especially highly qualified scientists, engineers, and PhD graduates.

According to human rights lawyer Colonel Inamur Raheem over 9000 enforced disappearance of people has taken place by agencies linked to the Pakistan army.

Raheem points out an interesting fact which may resonate with those aware of how US and Israel not only went into Iraq for oil but also dismantle the country, he stated that “when the US went into Iraq it had a list of scientists, engineers and PhD scholars and the first thing they did was abducted them. Through clandestine operations the CIA and Mossad have killed not only Iraqi but Iranian scientists and engineers. One can argue it is a form of brain drain of a country to keep it poor uneducated and subdued.

The same dismantling of Pakistan is taking place argues Mr Raheem, where qualified engineers and scientists have disappeared whose families he has represented in court. While Mr Raheem gives an interview in Urdu it would be worth to listen if possible through a translator. He gives examples of horrific cases of agencies linked to the Army abducting innocent people. In one case he said a highly qualified engineer who got a job offer from the US but had rejected it and chose to stay in Pakistan to work as a CEO in a petroleum company, soon after his house was raided and both he and his brother were killed according to the army in an “encounter”.

Another example he gives of software engineer working in Middle east who returned to Pakistan to attend his sister’s wedding, he was abducted and has disappeared. The Courts have no powers it appears as they released names of hundreds of people who are innocent and should be released, however the Army has not complied.

One would like to believe that the war on terror initiated by the Bush Administration threatened Pervez Musharraf’s government to allow the US a free hand in Pakistan, however Mr Raheem’s statements that over 9,000 people have disappeared exposes the fact this practice is continuing.

The recent return of the two brothers held in Guantanamo released after 20 years as innocent with no charges behind them raises the question according to Mr Raheem of “who initially handed the two to the Americans”?

General Musharraf writes in his memoirs of how millions were earned by the army by handing over suspects to the Americans, and how many innocents were taken on charges of suspicion and tortured for many years in Guantanamo.

Mr Raheem was also abducted over two years ago for his work representing families of the disappeared as well as highlighting the corruption of General Pervez Musharraf who distributed plots of land worth billions of dollars to his ‘favourite’ Generals.

It appears the plans by the Army in collusion with the Americans to set up a Pro US government may have backfired because the ‘sacred cow status’ has slipped to reveal a culture of corruption and thuggery amongst the Army Generals.

Major Mehdi points out the “military backed regime and the army high command have instituted a reign of terror, threats, blackmail, fascism, brutality, illegal abductions, wrongfully imprisonment torture and murder.” Both Majors have instigated a campaign calling for reforms of the Army and “free and fair elections to manifest the will of the people.”