Imran Khan and Pakistan's Failed Experiment

 Imran Khan and Pakistan's Failed Experiment

Pakistani politics has been in the spotlight in recent months, but not necessarily in the way that its citizens would like. After the corruption and incompetence of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were finally exposed to the nation, he was removed from power and arrested by the military, who are now calling all the shots when it comes to Pakistan’s political future.

Part 1: Introduction

The Fall of Imran Khan, How it Happened, Why it Happened: If 2013 was year of hope for Pakistan, then 2014 was a year to forget. Multiple things happened in such quick succession that it would be hard to remember if one did not write about them later on. The biggest takeaway from these past few months has been a rather disappointing realization about Pakistan politics: that there are no real 'game changers' out there. At least none who have been able to have any real impact thus far...

Part 2: Background

Imran Khan is a sports star turned politician whose party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), just won by a landslide in Pakistan’s elections. But his popularity was mostly due to anti-establishment sentiment that led to an extremely fractured parliament – and an elected government with limited power. In fact, when former cricket player Imran Khan became prime minister of Pakistan on Friday after his party swept national elections, it was only because no one else could get those votes.

Part 3: How Imran Khan failed

The idealism of youth can be an asset, but in Pakistan it led to electoral defeat as much as success. Imran’s populist agenda is not enough for long-term change, which requires institutional solutions. A review of where Imran Khan went wrong shows how Pakistan’s political culture struggles with short-term gains over long-term stability.

Part 4: Conclusion

Pakistan’s Experience with Democracy: Looking Forward This chapter will summarize Pakistan’s experience with democracy since 1947, looking at both continuity and change. It will then discuss what might be next for Pakistan as it moves into a new era of politics. While there is no way to predict exactly how things will unfold, there are some generalizations that can be made about Pakistan’s future based on its past.