Pakistan’s worst-kept secret is that its military dominates its government. Whether to safeguard the nation against chaos or to protect their own privileged access to power and wealth, its generals have manipulated the country’s politics for decades. Pakistan’s voters, like voters elsewhere, want change. February’s ugly election fiasco shows that it’s only getting harder for … Read more
ISLAMABAD — Lawmakers in Pakistan’s National Assembly elected Sunday Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister for the second time. Allies of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan in parliament shouted in protest against his appointment, alleging rigging in last month’s election. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said Sharif secured 201 votes, defeating Omar Ayub of the … Read more
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife appeared in a court near Islamabad on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty in a graft case alleging they accepted the gift of land from a real estate tycoon in exchange for large sums of laundered money, officials said. The case is the second … Read more
Hina Jilani, a leading human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist from Pakistan, acutely recognizes the power of the military in deciding the fate of her country’s elections. “The military has the unique tendency of not doing the right thing by interfering in politics,” she tells TIME. In the recent elections held on Feb. 8, the … Read more
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The actions taken against former prime minister Imran Khan’s political party in recent months followed a familiar playbook for a disgraced political movement in Pakistan. Khan was jailed on charges that his supporters say were politically motivated, party offices were raided, and its election efforts were ignored by TV networks. But the … Read more
ISLAMABAD — The party of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and its allies announced late Tuesday that they will jointly form a coalition government, ending the uncertainty since last week when no party won a simple majority in parliamentary elections. The latest development came hours after the parties — all of them rivals of … Read more
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s parliamentary elections left no clear winner. Allies of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the lower house of parliament in the elections last Thursday. It was a shock outcome given the obstacles: His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could hold no campaign rallies, had no polling agents on election day … Read more
LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan held parliamentary election l ast Thursday, with 44 parties fighting for a share of 266 seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament. A further 70 seats have been reserved for minorities and women. If no party wins a majority of 169 seats, the one with the biggest share … Read more
He’s been shot, jailed, had his political party effectively banned, and name purged from mainstream media. But you just can’t keep Imran Khan down. Preliminary results from Thursday’s election in Pakistan seem to show that independent candidates affiliated with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have a chance of securing a plurality of legislative seats despite … Read more
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Fears mounted early Friday that Pakistan’s general election could lead to more political turmoil, amid allegations of vote rigging and early indications that the party of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan may have performed better than expected. Khan’s rival, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had been widely viewed as the clear front-runner … Read more