As the government has completed its tenure, it is imperative to look at the political timeline. The last five years were rather unusual as we witnessed two prime ministers of opposing parties rule the country, marking a pivotal moment in the democratic history of Pakistan.
In 2018, the PTI government came to power with high hopes of changing the nation’s trajectory and on the slogan of ‘change’. Imran Khan swept to power after his promise of accountability against corruption. The journey was riddled with complexities and stiff resistance by the bureaucracy and political circles, who sought to remove him from power.
Facing the heat of corruption cases, the opposition eventually teamed up and formed an alliance – Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). The 11-party alliance was rather unusual as birds of different feathers flocked together with a single-point agenda to remove Imran from power. After months of political wrangling, protests, and holding long marches, they eventually decided to file a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
In a tense political drama, Imran Khan’s government collapsed after his allies backed out, earning him the dubious distinction as the first prime minister to democratically voted out through a no-confidence motion. The PDM eventually took control in an unusual power grab and Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister.
Imran refused to hand over his government on a silver platter and instead alleged there was a global conspiracy to remove him from power. This alienated him from politics but he still remained popular which was evident as the PTI won bypolls and continue to draw huge crowds. The PDM government refused to conduct fresh elections and ruled without active opposition after the PTI resigned en masse from parliament.
In an effort to push for fresh elections, the PTI also dissolved the Punjab and KP assemblies. The move backfired after the government made all attempts to stop conducting polls. Eventually, Imran Khan started blaming the military for his ouster. This further worsened the relations with the establishment which culminated in the violent riots on May 9 in which military installations were attacked.
On August 5, Imran Khan was sentenced in a case for selling state gifts and jailed, just days before the completion of the government’s tenure. Despite the sentencing, he remains popular but efforts to banish him from power and the crackdown on the party makes his resurgence unlikely anytime soon. But until then, the PDM’s government has also bid goodbye, closing another tumultuous chapter in Pakistan’s political history.
