Elections in Pakistan are a façade. The Pakistani military has historically dominated the country’s politics and under Prime Minister Imran Khan it remains the de facto ruler of Pakistan.  This perspective is published by DT Next. Here is an excerpt:

Earlier, Khan aimed to end Pakistan’s military dictatorship and reiterated his intention to clip the military’s political wings in the name of democratic reform if he ever assumed power.

Fast forward to 2021, Khan’s elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has become everything he claimed to stand against, a de facto hybrid martial law regime where ex-soldiers not only dominate key civilian government posts but also largely dictate foreign policy, reported Asia Times.

Salman Rafi Sheikh, in an article of Asia Times reported that with former military personnel ensconced in civilian institutions on an unprecedented scale, not only has the difference between the civil and the military become extremely hard to distinguish, but the military establishment has largely assumed a direct role in managing the country’s economy, politics and now day-to-day administration through its now leading role in containing a new outbreak of COVID-19.

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