Demonstrations in support of Imran Khan in Qatar threaten to cause chaos
Massive Pakistani protests rocked the capital Doha after thousands of Pakistanis staged demonstrations rejecting a no-confidence vote in the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his removal from office.
There are fears the Qatari government will not be able to contain the crisis and the spread of chaos, experts said.
On Saturday, the Pakistani parliament voted in favor of a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, the first government in Pakistan to be removed from parliament.
Mass demonstrations
Video footage and photographs shared on social media show huge Pakistani protests taking over Qatar’s streets.
Eyewitnesses said the demonstrations were extremely large and angry and could be the first of their kind in Qatar.
The witnesses continued: The massive Pakistani labor force in Qatar is confusing the authorities with these angry demonstrations.
Observers say Qatar has been accustomed to labor protests because of human rights violations, but never before.
Weak security detail
An Arab diplomatic source confirmed that there are major concerns in Qatar about the demonstrations, which come a few months before the World Cup is organized. They are a real test for the Qatari authorities’ ability to control any riots.
He continued: Demonstrations can cause chaos and major acts of sabotage in Qatar with insufficient security to contain such massive demonstrations.
Observers believe that Qatar’s failure to contain the crisis will have major negative effects on its ability to organize a large tournament such as the World Cup and deal with the huge number of fans.
Impact of protests on Qatari-Pakistani relations
Dr. Tariq Fahmi, a professor of international relations at the American University, said that part of these demonstrations is related to what is happening in Pakistan, and the popular movement in support of Imran Khan, will have serious repercussions.
Fahmi added: “Such demonstrations will have an impact on Qatar’s position on what is happening in Pakistan”.
He continued: “Pakistan is an important country for the Gulf and specifically Qatar, and these protests could lead to bad scenarios for Qatar’s relationship with the new government”.
Relations will certainly be damaged, and there will be direct impacts on the Qatari government’s relationship with the Pakistani community, which represents a large percentage of foreign workers in Qatar, he said.
