By Mashail Malik & Javid Ahmad
Flaring tensions between Pakistan’s ineffective civilian government and influential judiciary have reached an all-time intensity, with the (now former) Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani disqualified from holding office this week by an unprecedented Supreme Court ruling. Today, the Pakistani parliament elected Raja Pervez Ashraf, another controversial choice tainted by accusations of corruption, as the prime minister. And there are no guarantees that Ashraf won’t face the same level of pressure as prime minister from the judiciary that Gilani confronted.
This latest development signifies the deep rift between Pakistan’s different internal institutions – the ruling People Party’s civilian government, the powerful military, the increasingly active judiciary, and the many opposition groups – each juggling varied and often deeply conflicting agendas of their own. However, one thing these internal forces have in common is that each wants to be at the center of Pakistan’s political structure, and to win the now desperate population’s support. The cost of this power struggle, however, seems to be given little consideration by the players involved.
Read the full story at The Diplomat