On February 8, Pakistanis voted in elections to the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies. The elections were controversial. In addition to relentless efforts by the Pakistan establishment to weaken Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the months preceding polling, the vote was manipulated to favor the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s … Read more
For the next episode in our Road to ‘24 series, Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty sat down with Michael Kugelman and Kunwar Khuldune Shahid to break down Pakistan’s chaotic election campaign. Kugelman is the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and Shahid is a Pakistan-based correspondent for … Read more
With elections coming up next month amid the messy blocking of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination, electoral politics in Pakistan remains embroiled in tense contestation. However, in the backdrop remains the ever persisting and foreboding shadow of the most important political player in the country, whose hands are methodically tampering with the various levers … Read more
Magazine “Pakistan is facing a polycrisis and it is the convergence of political, economic, social, and security crises that makes the current situation so volatile.” Supporters of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attend a welcoming rally for their leader in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Anjum Naveed Advertisement Pakistan is at … Read more
Advertisement Three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has left self-imposed exile and returned to Pakistan to launch his twilight vision for the country. However, the Pakistan he has returned to features a political landscape that has been scorched by the power struggle between the dynastic political parties – composed of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and … Read more
Advertisement As Pakistan heads toward its next general elections, set for late January 2024, the political scene is heating up. One former prime minister – Imran Khan – is facing trial on charges of leaking state secrets this week, while another former PM – Nawaz Sharif – just stage a triumphant return home, having received … Read more
Advertisement I vividly remember the cold morning in Lahore when I was first asked to choose between reporting the truth and staying alive. “Is this reporting more important to you than your life? Make a choice now,” an unknown caller with “no caller ID” told me. Just hours before, I had published a news report … Read more
Pacific Money | Economy | South Asia The SFIC has to strike a balance between including military decision-makers to raise investor confidence and upholding democratic governance. Advertisement The inception of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) represents a pivotal juncture in Pakistan’s economic evolution. Intended to attract foreign investments and invigorate economic growth, this pioneering initiative has captured national … Read more
Beyond the Indus | Politics The rise and fall of Pakistan’s most controversial populist. Advertisement Beyond the Indus podcast hosts Tushar Shetty and Joe Wallen explore the legacy of Pakistan’s most intriguing and enigmatic leader in recent decades. With riots and protests sweeping through Pakistan after Imran Khan’s arrest, we speak to Dr Avinash Paliwal of the … Read more
Advertisement Last week, supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) went on a rampage, expressing great anger toward Pakistan’s powerful army. Between May 9 and 12, PTI workers in several Pakistani cities vandalized the houses of high-ranking senior army officers in military cantonment areas, set fire to key government and army installations, blocked roads, and damaged … Read more