PTI chief Imran Khan said on Friday that the next chief of army chief (COAS) should be appointed on merit before adding that it was unlikely to happen as “thieves” in power wanted to appoint an army chief of their own liking.

“Those in power have never done anything on merit,” he said while wondering if they would select the army chief on merit. He made these comments while addressing supporters of the Azadi March via video link.

The marchers are currently in Gujrat, the hometown and power base of PTI ally PML-Q, although some cracks have appeared in that coalition over the issue of the first information report (FIR) in the attempted assassination.

The Punjab police has refused to include the names on the complaint that Imran Khan has publicly claimed and formally demanded to be included on the FIR. The party has faced criticism from its rivals, particularly the PML-N, who says that the responsibility lies with the PML-Q and PTI as they are the parties in power in Punjab.

Imran also had a response to that criticism, blaming former premier and Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz, who also served as Punjab chief minister for the ‘entrenched corruption’ in Punjab police.

During his speeches, he also castigated PM Shehbaz for visiting a ‘lying absconder’ - a reference to Nawaz - in London.

Bravado and bluster

PTI leaders continued to put up a brave face as the cavalcade resumed the march on Friday under the leadership of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the party’s vice chairman.

During one of the many speeches, Asad Umar said that Imran would never let a bulletproof mirror come between him and his supporters.

Seasoned politician Fawad Chaudhry, who in the past was associated with the PML-Q, the PPP and Pervez Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), said that Imran enjoyed support across the spectrum unlike Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who only had the support of low-income groups.

Background

Friday is the second day of what is the third iteration of the Azadi March since Imran Khan’s ouster as prime minister in April. The first time Imran’s supporters heeded his call to converge on the capital was on May 25. It ended the same day with pitched battles between law enforcement and PTI supporters, with Imran later saying that he called off the protest to avoid bloodshed.

What followed was a prolonged period of teasing, with Imran hinting that he would announce the second iteration of the march soon enough unless the coalition government, led by the PML-N, cedes to his demand: the announcement of the date for early elections.

The stalemate continues with Imran holding regular public appearances and press talks, repeating his demand for elections while claiming that a foreign-sponsored conspiracy led to his ouster.

Azadi March 2.0, as the media has taken to call it, began on October 28. Imran led the march from Lahore while convoys also taking off from other parts of the country with the hopes of reaching the capital Islamabad on November 4.

Before the start of the march and during it, the PTI and PML-N leadership was engaged in heated public exchanges, including accusations. Neither side was backing down with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah making it clear that PTI supporters should be prepared for consequences in case of violence of damage to public property in the capital.

The second iteration lasted a whole week before tragedy struck. A gunman opened fire at the container in which Imran was travelling. At least one person died in the crossfire, the shooter was caught and Imran and several others were injured.

Another round of accusations and counter-accusations followed, with Imran claiming that the prime minister, the interior minister and an army officer were responsible for the attempted assassination.

He has repeatedly cited the treatment of PTI leaders - alleged custodial torture of Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill - as well as ‘persecution’ of journalists who he says are sympathetic towards the PTI to substantiate his claim of his party being targeted. Journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder, complaints against Sabir Shakir, Ghulam Hussain and Ayaz Amir are some of the cases he has repeatedly cited.