Sohail Warraich under fire for column warning Imran Khan of 'Bhutto’s fate'

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 3 months ago |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Veteran columnist Sohail Warraich has come under severe criticism after publishing a column advising former Prime Minister Imran Khan to reconcile with the establishment or risk meeting the same fate as former premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was executed in 1979.

Journalist Shahid Aslam expressed his dismay on X, saying: “It is a matter of deep regret that a senior journalist would pen such a column.” In another post, he elaborated: “The crux of Mr. Warraich’s column today is that Imran Khan should apologize to the military, strike a deal, quietly step aside, and wait for his turn—otherwise, his fate could resemble that of Bhutto. A similar offer was made by General Bajwa at the time of the no-confidence motion: stay silent for two or three years, and your turn will come. Since then, such offers have been made multiple times. Through this column, a chilling message has been delivered to Imran Khan: if relations with the military aren’t mended, then be prepared for any kind of outcome—neither voters, nor popularity, nor the international community will be able to save him.”

On the issue of an apology, Mubasher Zaidi questioned whether the military has ever acknowledged its role in Pakistan’s political crises: “Have those who embedded themselves deep within the state's foundations since 1958 ever offered an apology?”

In his Saturday column, Warraich also wrote about his meeting with Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, stressing that a “sincere apology is needed to settle the May 9 incidents.”

The column has triggered a storm of backlash from journalists. Fakhar ur Rehman remarked: “The day this country is rid of Heera Mandi-style journalists and journalism will mark a new dawn in its progress.”

Senior journalist Imtiaz Alam accused Warraich of advancing authoritarian narratives. In a post on X, he wrote: “Suhail Warraich proudly announced his meeting with the 'Protector,' then, in his piece 'Takhleeq-e-Adam' (The Creation of Man), portrayed the PML-N angels pledging allegiance and the PTI devils refusing—declaring that the Protector is divinely appointed. Thus, for divine acceptance and survival, Prisoner 804 must plead for forgiveness, implying that democratic resistance in Pakistan is futile. In other words, democracy must be sacrificed at the altar of authoritarianism.”