Pakistan's parliament was scheduled to be dissolved on Wednesday, paving the way for an interim government to be selected for supervising an upcoming election.

Notably absent from this election will be Imran Khan, the country's most widely supported politician. Pakistan has experienced significant political unrest since the removal of Khan from his position of authority in April of the previous year.

This situation reached its climax as he was imprisoned for alleged graft over the weekend, following an extensive crackdown on his political party that had been ongoing for months.

"In the past 16 months, our government tried its best to improve the situation and served the nation with full conviction," outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in his last address to the cabinet. 

"This country can’t progress until we have national unity," he said.

According to the constitution, the announcement of the new interim Prime Minister must occur within three days after the dissolution of parliament. Although the law dictates that elections should take place within 90 days of parliament's dissolution, the departing government has cautioned that a delay is probable.

In an unusual collaboration, the typically conflicting dynastic parties of Pakistan, which united to remove Khan from power, have garnered limited popular support while governing the world's fifth-most populous nation. Meanwhile, the country's economy remains sluggish. This is due to substantial foreign debt, a sharp rise in inflation, and widespread unemployment due to factories being inactive, as they lack the foreign currency required to purchase raw materials.

"Economic decisions are invariably tough and often unpopular, requiring a government with a longer tenure to effectively implement them," said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency think tank.

"This election holds significance as it will result in a five-year term for a new government, which ideally should be empowered to make essential decisions vital for economic recovery."

Uncertainty looms over election date amidst Pakistan's multifaceted challenges

For several months, there has been speculation about the possibility of delaying elections as the country's establishment grapples with multiple crises encompassing security, economic, and political challenges. The latest census data, conducted in May, were recently published, prompting the government to state that the election commission requires time to redefine constituency boundaries—an issue of contention for various political parties.

Michael Kugelman, who directs the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, said as quoted by AFP that a potential delay might offer the primary coalition partners, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), an opportunity to strategize on addressing the challenge posed by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. However, Kugelman also noted that such a delay could potentially fuel public discontent and energize an opposition that has already endured months of crackdowns.

Beneath the surface of any election in Pakistan, the influence of the military looms. Since the country's inception through the partition of India in 1947, the military has successfully executed at least three coups. Imran Khan initially enjoyed substantial and widespread support upon assuming power in 2018, reportedly with the backing of Pakistan's influential generals. However, his relationship with the military soured in the months leading up to his removal. Subsequently, Khan embarked on a daring campaign of defiance, accusing the military of interfering in politics and even identifying an intelligence officer as being involved in a November assassination attempt.

 A rigorous response to the situation

Imran Khan, who has faced over 200 legal cases recently, asserts that these charges are politically driven, aimed at obstructing his participation in elections. His initial arrest and short detention in May led to several days of occasionally violent protests, marked by an unprecedented level of anger directed toward the military.

The authorities responded with a severe crackdown that effectively quelled his street influence. Numerous of his supporters were apprehended, with some still held in custody to face military tribunals, while a majority of the party's leaders were arrested or went into hiding. Anticipated to be primarily composed of technocrats, the interim government will confront a challenging undertaking.

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