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Some thoughts on the assertion, amplified in the article that I shared earlier (but did not write), that coronavirus could cause Imran Khan to lose his job. It's worth discussing, given that there had already been chatter about his job insecurity long before the pandemic set in.
I didn't buy into chatter of past months (spawned by Khan's poor handling of econ, Mullah Diesel anti-govt protest etc) of growing civ-mil rift and chance that he could go. Khan & mil see eye to eye on most issues. And mil had reason to support him b/c of his performance abroad.
The biggest argument against the idea of Khan being removed is there's no logical choice to replace him. I heard this point made repeatedly when I was in Pakistan in Feb. Many folks-IK critics & supporters-said he's struggling on the economy, but if he goes, who do you bring in?
But coronavirus has put unprecedented pressure on Khan. What if the pandemic gets much worse? Perhaps he stays in place & the army simply steps up its own already-expanding role in combating the pandemic. But if he's perceived as too much of a liability at such a critical time...
