For decades, Pakistan’s military has been the country’s most vital institution. Although it frequently intervened to oust elected governments, many Pakistanis saw this as salvation from the country’s blundering politicians. The army, it was thought, was the only force capable of holding the country together. The question now is whether the generals can keep themselves […]
Read MoreTag: Sharif, Nawaz
Imran Khan’s Opponents Reach Deal to Shut His Allies Out of Government
Pakistan’s two main political dynasties reached an agreement late on Tuesday to form a coalition government, ensuring that candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not take power despite having won the most seats in last week’s election. Leaders of the party favored by the country’s powerful military, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or […]
Read MoreHow Imran Khan Used Social Media to Rise Again in Pakistan
When Pakistan’s government censored the media, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party posted campaign videos on TikTok. When the police barred his supporters from holding rallies, they hosted virtual gatherings online. And when Mr. Khan ended up behind bars, his supporters produced speeches using artificial intelligence to simulate his voice. Mr. Khan’s message resonated with […]
Read MoreImran Khan Uses A.I. To Give Victory Speech in Pakistan
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has spent the duration of the country’s electoral campaign in jail, disqualified from running in what experts have described as one of the least credible general elections in the country’s 76-year history. But from behind bars, he has been rallying his supporters in recent months with speeches that use […]
Read MoreWhat Happens Next in Pakistan’s Politics?
Imran Khan’s stunning performance in Pakistan’s national election has upended most traditional political forecasts in a country where leaders who run afoul of the powerful military rarely find electoral success. Supporters of Mr. Khan, the jailed former prime minister, are both electrified by the showing of candidates aligned with his party, who won the most […]
Read MoreShocking Opposition Victory Throws Pakistan Into Chaos
The party of the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, won the most seats in parliamentary elections this week, delivering a strong rebuke to the country’s powerful generals and throwing the political system into chaos. While military leaders had hoped the election would put an end to the political turmoil that has consumed […]
Read MorePakistan Votes in an Election Widely Seen as Predetermined
Pakistanis have labeled it a “selection” — not an election. Human rights monitors have condemned it as neither free nor fair. As voters headed to the polls on Thursday, the influence of Pakistan’s powerful military and the turbulent state of its politics were on full display. Few doubted which party would come out on top, […]
Read MorePakistan Election: Everything You Need to Know
Pakistan heads to the polls on Thursday for an election that analysts say will be among the least credible in the country’s 76-year history, one that comes at a particularly turbulent moment for the nation. For nearly half of Pakistan’s existence, the military has ruled directly. Even under civilian governments, military leaders have wielded enormous […]
Read MorePakistan’s Military Is Swaying Elections, Now More Than Ever
Tucked away on a patch of dying grass on the outskirts of Islamabad, the gathering hardly looked like a political rally at the height of an election season. Two dozen men sat on plastic chairs in silence. There were no posters to promote a campaign, no microphones to deliver speeches, no sound system to amp […]
Read MoreImran Khan Gets 14 Years in His Second Sentence in Two Days
Just a day after he was sentenced to a decade in prison, former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan on Wednesday was ordered jailed for 14 years in a separate case, dealing him another heavy blow in his bitter feud with the country’s powerful military. The new sentence, handed down eight days before a scheduled […]
Read MoreNawaz Sharif Returning to Pakistan and Hoping for a Political Comeback
Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, planned a grand return to Pakistan on Saturday after years of self-imposed exile, seizing an opening in the country’s turbulent politics and economic disarray to attempt another dramatic comeback. In late 2019, an ailing Mr. Sharif left Pakistan for London in an air ambulance after being granted bail from […]
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