The British newspaper Financial Times reported that the success of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by the former imprisoned Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken other political parties by surprise and dealt a historical blow to the military’s political influence, threatening further instability in the country.
Observers mentioned in the report that PTI’s emergence as the largest party on Thursday represented a rare rejection of the military’s long-standing interference in Pakistan’s elections, as voters retreated from increasing open attempts to crush Khan’s party and prevent his return to power.
Crucial Deadline Approaches for IMF Negotiations
The report added that the resulting power vacuum will leave the country less capable of governing as it approaches a crucial deadline for a new bailout plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Elizabeth Threlkeld, the senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, was quoted as saying, “It is likely to take weeks to resolve the fallout from these elections… with time running out for Pakistan to return to negotiations with the IMF.”
Analysts, according to the report, expect the military to continue pushing for the preferred outcome, with Khan’s opponents starting coalition talks swiftly.
The League and People’s Party
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who won 75 seats out of a total of 265 parliamentary seats, announced that it would form a government.
Sharif’s party has commenced negotiations with the Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of the assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, to revive the short-lived ruling coalition after Khan was ousted as Prime Minister.
Analysts suggest that Sharif and Bhutto Zardari seem to have the best chance of forming a coalition government. Sharif particularly benefited from multiple court decisions overturning a lifetime ban on holding office after his corruption conviction in 2018.
Efforts to Halt the Wave of Populism
Khoram Hussain, a columnist based in Karachi, stated that what he sees is a shared power structure in Pakistan, not just the military but also the judiciary and all major political parties, attempting to halt the wave of populism represented by PTI.
PTI downplayed the possibility of forming a coalition itself, vowing instead to challenge disputed results in court and prove its majority. The party had won 101 seats.
The party alleged evidence of widespread vote rigging that cost them around 70 additional seats, amid delays and disruptions during the counting process, and launched legal challenges, calling for protests outside counting centers, while the United States and the European Union called for investigations into the alleged interference.
Khan’s Release from Jail a Priority for His Party
One of PTI’s priorities will be to secure the release of its leader, whose personal charisma is the party’s biggest asset.
Lawyers anticipate these cases being overturned in higher courts, but the party claims Khan faces another 200 charges, making a swift release unlikely.
The report noted that Pakistan is currently in a somewhat unstable situation, facing a severe economic crisis with inflation rate around 30%, dwindling foreign reserves, necessitating swift solutions and thus requiring a stable and strong government to engage with the IMF, implement various economic reforms it will undoubtedly demand.
The country is at risk of default if it fails to reach an agreement with the IMF.
