Member-only story
The recent arrest of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has incited a tumultuous political landscape in the South Asian nation. What began as an anti-corruption crusade in his tenure has morphed into a fierce struggle for political survival.
Khan’s ousting from power in 2022 and subsequent arrest has sparked nationwide protests. Thousands of protesters, disenchanted with the current political system, took to the streets in solidarity with Khan. In response, the Pakistani police launched an aggressive crackdown, arresting thousands of protesters often using violent methods. This crackdown was not limited to demonstrators, but also extended to Khan’s party leaders, journalists, and commentators.
Simultaneously, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority imposed a severe clampdown on social media and internet access, a move widely seen as an attempt to control the narrative. This landscape of unrest reveals the deep-set fractures within Pakistan’s political system. However, understanding the reasons behind Khan’s popularity and the subsequent backlash requires a deeper examination of the country’s power dynamics.
Since its founding in 1947, power in Pakistan has mostly been shared between two major political parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz…
