Imran Khan The Game Changer

Those seeking diminution of the military and establishment’s role can draw some satisfaction from the fact that Pakistan’s institutions of state stand exposed for their machinations. But showing that the emperor has no clothes does not mean that the emperor’s power has evaporated
Since 1958, the all-powerful military-intelligence combine has effectively run Pakistan, occasionally with a democratic façade. The hybrid model of governance requires that civilian politicians agree to operate within parameters determined by what Pakistanis euphemistically refer to as “the establishment”. It also depends on some level of secrecy for military manipulation and manoeuvres in the political arena. Since his ouster as Prime Minister in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has refused to play by the establishment’s rules. The ubiquity of social media has made it difficult to maintain absolute secrecy of the establishment’s political stratagems. But the constant political noise emanating from Pakistan should not be interpreted as marking the end of the hybrid system. The story so far:Pakistan’s recent electionwas considered a crucial one that would lead to a stable government with a clear mandate, end political instability, and start a process of political healing at the national level, especially in Punjab. The Establishment (the military-dominated deep state) expected the elections would end the Imran revolt and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) experiment. People expected the election process, polling and the final announcement to be free, fair and transparent. The 2024 elections were anything but the above. To conclude, the Establishment will hold the turf. Despite the PTI-backed candidates gaining more seats, a cursory overview of the elections will reveal the same at both the national and provincial level.

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