Political analysts believe that the challenges facing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government from cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and preacher Dr Tahirul Qadri could overshadow Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ambitious agenda for reviving the economy and forging peace with India.
“Things could really spin out of control,” Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami told the Wall Street Journal.
“Prime Minister Sharif is quite capable of shooting himself in the foot by reacting heavy-handedly to the planned protests. The real test is whether Imran Khan is successful in provoking a move from the military for fresh elections or a caretaker government,” he said.
Over the past year, Premier Sharif has clashed repeatedly with the army, especially over his pursuit of treason charges against the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. At the same time, he has failed to put Khan’s accusations of vote-rigging to rest, even though legal challenges to the results have been unsuccessful.
“Nawaz Sharif is vulnerable,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi.
“He’s had the wrong political priorities, run into trouble with the military and led the government like a personal fiefdom, alienating even his own party.”
Sharif’s offers of talks have been rebuffed so far. He said Saturday that there was “no justification” for Khan’s protest march.
“We are ready to look for any formula to solve this. Sit with us, we are ready to discuss this without any hesitation,” Sharif had said.
Khan says that his party will paralyze the capital until its demands for Sharif to resign and call new elections are met.
While Khan says he wants fair elections, Qadri, is calling for an vaguely defined “revolution” to create an “egalitarian society”.
“I sympathize with the allegations of rigging up to a point, but they were not enough to have changed the overall result in a material sense,” said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, head of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency, an independent think tank. “There is no evidence to suggest a national-level conspiracy.”
Mehboob said that, as in previous elections, powerful individuals were behind the local election irregularities, while there was also mismanagement by election officials.
Bilal mehboob is talking rubbish,there was massive rigging in 2013 election,this is a fake mandate,
people want new elections ,fair and free
This bilal mehboob must be on sharif brothers pay roll,sharifs bust go
The fall of Nawaz is very near,he is using the name of democracy but by himself he does not follow the democratic system all the matters he will discuss with his family members and currently he employed all his family members in the cabinet.
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