Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Pakistan parliament to dissolve for elections excluding ex-PM Khan

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Aug 2023 18:46
4 Min Read

Pakistan has experienced significant political unrest since the removal of Imran Khan from his position of authority in April of the previous year.

  • x
  • Pakistan parliament dissolves for election minus ex-PM Khan
    In this file photo taken on September 24, 2019, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. (AFP)

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.

Related News

Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 14 years in alleged land corruption case

Pakistan court sentences 25 protesters amid 'crackdown on dissent'

"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.

Read next: Khan receives maximum sentence, barred from politics for five years

  • Imran Khan
  • Pakistan
  • Pakistani Army
  • elections

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS