Pakistan floundering after Khan assassination bid

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Pakistan has entered a "dangerous phase" following the assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his accusation that it was a plan involving a senior intelligence officer, according to commentators.

Khan survived an assassination attempt on Thursday while leading supporters on a widely publicized march to the capital to call for early elections.

He said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major-General Faisal Nasir, an intelligence officer, intended to assassinate him and blame it on "a religious fanatic."

"The political situation in Pakistan has entered into a dangerous phase," said academic and political analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan, who is also a board member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. "In a country with a history of political chaos, the sounds echo."

Despite being deposed by a vote of no-confidence in April, Khan retains widespread public support, having won a series of by-elections even as he fights a number of legal proceedings launched by the present government.

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As the pressure mounts, the government's reliance on the country's "deep state" – a term commonly used to refer to the powerful military – for survival grows, according to Ahmed Khan. "It is a perilous situation -- not only for the democratic process but also for the country -- especially with regards to economic development," he said.

"The issue(s) of poverty, hunger, and development fall into the background."

It is worth noting that Khan has been aiming for legislative elections to take place by October of next year, but a judicial body pertaining to the elections committee announced that the former PM is not qualified to participate as an upcoming candidate or run for office for the next five years. 

However, Khan's lawyer, Imran Jawhar, commented that the elections committee in Pakistan labeled Khan as being involved in corruption practices, but the lawyer assured that they will appeal that in front of the Supreme Court of Islamabad. 

This comes despite Khan's win in the by-elections when he took six out of eight seats in the National Assembly. 

Read more: Contempt case against ex-PM Khan dropped