A Battle for Democracy and Integrity in Pakistan
MANY PEOPLE HAVE asked me why, out of the two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, I prefer the former over the latter, especially when Imran Khan has always criticized India, while Nawaz Sharif, even in his recent interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, advocated for good relations with India.
In response, I would like to clarify that Imran Khan has not criticized India per se, but rather its Prime Minister, Modi, whose politics involve inciting and spreading hatred against Indian Muslims.
This policy has resulted in the lynching of Indian Muslims, their brutal beating for not chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” the bulldozing of their homes, and the arrest and imprisonment of scores of innocent Muslims for extended periods (e.g., Umar Khalid). What is wrong with such criticism? All right-minded persons in both India and Pakistan should do the same.
Imran Khan
Moreover, we should let bygones be bygones and consider the present situation.
Today, Imran Khan, despite being incarcerated in Adiala Jail for over a year, is courageously leading the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan, after the Pakistan Army unleashed a fascist reign of terror following the incidents of May 9, 2023 (which many believe were stage-managed).
During this time, around 14,000 innocent people were arrested on false charges, brutally beaten, and detained for over a year in inhumane conditions, while the judiciary and media largely turned a blind eye to these atrocities.
Why should Indians oppose fascism in Pakistan?
Because Pakistan is a neighbouring country, and what happens there has repercussions in India too. The struggle against fascism, where freedom of speech is suppressed, is a shared battle in both countries.
Nawaz Sharif
Freedom of speech, though not an end in itself (the ultimate goal must be raising the standard of living for the people and providing them with decent lives), is an essential prerequisite in the fight against fascism.
Without freedom of speech, how can enlightened, patriotic, and modern-minded leaders guide the masses in the historical struggle and revolution to create a political and social order where the standard of living steadily improves?
In contrast, Nawaz Sharif, through his brother Shahbaz Sharif—who has been installed as Prime Minister by the army—is collaborating with the Pakistan Army, which has imposed fascism and an undeclared martial law in Pakistan.
His talk of improving relations with India is sheer hypocrisy, deception, and dissimulation, since the Pakistani generals, whom he supports (through Shahbaz Sharif), and who are the true rulers of Pakistan, despise India and will never pursue genuine good relations with it.
This is aside from the massive corruption involving Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, as revealed in the Panama Papers scandal. 
Markandey Katju
Justice Markandey Katju is former Judge, Supreme Court of India and former Chairman, Press Council of India.
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