Pakistan: Imran Khan remains in hunt for power, but all depends on coming Punjab bypolls
FirstpostA crucial set of by-elections for 20 vacant seats in the Assembly of Pakistan’s Punjab province will be held on 17 July. Hamza was sworn in as the province’s chief minister on 30 April 2022 in the wake of prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan-Tehreek-Insaf government’s departure earlier in April. After weeks of political drama, often reduced to a farce, and with the direct intervention of the country’s judiciary, and behind the scenes activity of the army — which it continues to deny — Imran Khan had to go and Shehbaz Sharif, president of the PML, took over as prime minister. Significantly, Ayaz Amir also criticised Khan’s decision to extend Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. If PML succeeds in getting a sufficient number of provincial Assembly seats on 17 July so that Hamza wins the chief ministerial re-election now slated for 22 July, Shehbaz Sharif would get somewhat stabilised.