Pakistan moves to delay national elections
On Saturday a court in Islamabad sentenced opposition leader Imran Khan to three years in prison on corruption charges. Khan, Pakistan’s most popular politician, is now sitting in a high security prison just outside the capital. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, plans to dissolve his government tomorrow and hand power to a caretaker administration ahead of a general election, which should then be held within 90 days. But there are now fears elections may not happen until next year. On the day of Khan’s arrest, a government committee said electoral boundaries may need to be redrawn after a recent census. That means nuclear-armed Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, could face a prolonged period with no elected leadership. Uzair Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told the FT that “Pakistan’s democratic backsliding has accelerated in recent weeks”. He said the chances of timely and fair elections in Pakistan were now “near zero”.
Photograph Getty Images