Pakistan politics

The current crisis in Pakistan may turn out to be a challenge for New Delhi after all.

His arrest sparked violence earlier this week and now Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ruled it illegal.

The arrests followed mob attacks on government buildings, military installations, and public places in response to Khan’s arrest on Tuesday.

His supporters’ attacks on army installations set a dangerous precedent and will further erode the military’s support for the former PM and his party.

The last year has been been a microcosm of Pakistan’s seven decades of dysfunction, now culminating in ambiguity over the most fundamental of democratic exercises: holding an election. 

Top politicians have openly said that the current face-off between the ruling coalition and the opposition is a do-or-die battle, where only one side can survive.

Khan isn’t just a threat to the current government; he threatens the entire governance system instituted by the Pakistani military.

Khan will be able to avoid arrest until at least March 27 amid accusations that he incited supporters to violence in last week’s clashes with police.

After the former PM failed to appear in a court in Islamabad to be indicted on graft charges Friday, Pakistani police moved to arrest Khan, triggering a clash with supporters outside his home.

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff sought to ensure that the military confined itself to the role defined for it under the constitution.

One of Khan's supporters was killed and 13 others, including two lawmakers, were wounded in the attack.

The entirety of Pakistan’s politics, including its conflicts and paradoxes, is wrapped up in the question of who the next chief of army staff will be.