Nawaz Sharif — 9DASHLINE

Written by Dr Filippo Boni

Pakistan is scheduled to hold its twelfth general election on 8 February, amid a deteriorating security situation in parts of the country, allegations of an uneven playing field against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, and with China and the United States waiting to find out who will lead the next Pakistani government.

South Asia9DLFebruary 5, 20249dashline, A primer on Pakistan’s elections, Filippo Boni, Pakistan, elections, Nawaz Sharif, Hafizabad, disqualification, general election, deteriorating security situation, uneven electoral playing field, Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, state secrets leak, imprisonment, military, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-N, cricket bat logo, electoral candidates, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Peoples Party, PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, climate change, policy position, electoral campaign, media freedom, Coalition for Free Media, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, PFUJ, Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, CPNE, Tehreek Taliban Pakistan, TTP, militant groups, Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP, Balochistan, separatist militant groups, bilateral crisis, Iran, missile strike, Islamabad, Iran-Pakistan, Iran-Pakistan tensions, borders, US, China, Sino-Pakistani bilateral ties, BRI, CPEC, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, socio-economic development, military leadership, Afghanistan, President Biden, Shahbaz Sharif, UNGA, US-Pakistan relations, domestic security, regional security

Bite the hand that fed you: Imran Khan’s populist challenge for the military

Written by Marcus Andreopoulos

Out of office, Khan is proving to be a relentless source of pressure, first for Bajwa and now for Munir. Khan has accused the military of holding the country back during a time of economic and humanitarian catastrophe.

South Asia, Power Politics9DLFebruary 22, 20239DashLine, Bite the hand that fed you: Imran Khan’s populist challenge for the military, Marcus Andreopoulus, Pakistan, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, General Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), elections, military, tensions with India, Taliban, Afghanistan, Durand Line, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, Islamabad, military aid, Washington, united states, Beijing, Imran Khan, populism, populist rhetoric, Russia, mafia media, general election of 2018, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Muslim League (N), General Pervez Musharraf, 1999 military coup, Sharif and Bhutto Zardari dynasties, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), domestic policy, defence, security, and foreign policy, civilian government, financial crisis, military budget, celebrity politicians, Donald Trump, anti-establishment statements, corruption, political elite, cult of personality, us versus them, minority rights, equality, Islamic welfare state, geo-economics, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), mob lynchings, blasphemy laws, primacy of the military, Chief Minister of Punjab Aleem Khan, military’s intelligence wing (ISI), Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, conspiracy, Arshad Sharif, United States Capitol

Pakistan’s fatiguing interest in the IMF reform program

Written by Asad Ejaz Butt

While Pakistan does not have any alternate short-term options other than returning to the IMF, it can consider structural reforms, like targeted subsidies and rationalisation of current expenditure through fiscal prudence and better management of state resources.

South Asia9DLDecember 19, 20229dashline, Pakistan’s Fatiguing Interest in the IMF Reform Program, Asad Ejaz Butt, Pakistan, South Asian Voices, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Islamabad, IMF’s Pakistan program, economy, economic crisis, floods, flash floods, macro-fiscal stability, Ishaq Dar, Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Finance Minister, fiscal discipline, IMF headquarters, self-sufficiency, Washington, extended fund facility (EFF), staff-level agreement, fiscal and external imbalances, procyclical, economic indicators, account and fiscal deficits, long-term structural reforms, fiscal consolidation, bail-out, loan, loans, macroeconomic stability, commercial bank, banking, Imran Khan, PTI government, PTI, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), nudge, Fiscal and current account deficits, economic collapse, policy rate, monetary tightening prescription, tax, tax revenues, currency, devaluation, free-market and laissez-faire economics, cash, mortgage financing, inflation, business, fiscal deficits, expenditure, debt, debt servicing payments, rupee, rupee devaluation, exports, imports, remittances, oil imports, foreign exchange flexibility, subsidies, donor, donor and IMF fatigue, World Bank, Sri Lanka

Unending hybridity: Has Shahbaz Sharif’s arrival changed Pakistan’s politics?

Written by Ayesha Siddiqa

Pakistan has just turned 75, but there is little hope in people’s hearts for a transformation from a decades-old military dominated power to a country under greater civilian control.

South Asia9DLAugust 29, 20229DashLine, Unending hybridity: Has Shahbaz Sharif’s arrival changed Pakistan’s politics?, Ayesha Siddiqa, Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan, Imran Khan, Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI, Pakistan Muslim League, PMLN, Mariam Nawaz Sharif, hybrid civil-military rule, traditional patronage politics, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, civil bureaucracy, Musharraf regime, armed forces personnel, Special Committee on National Security, Nawaz Sharif, Military Land & Cantonment, Saeed Shafqat, military, civil service reforms, General Ayub Khan, Punjab, General Qamar Javed Bajwa Khan, army, Pakistan army, AYESHA SIDDIQA, Columbia, Heidelberg, Ankara, China Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC, National Database and Registration Authority, NADRA, Ayub Khan, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, PNSC, Javed Bajwa Khan, London

Imran Khan — the end of a civilian dictator

Written by Ayesha Siddiqa

Indeed, in his political career spanning about two decades, he never learned the art of adjustment, honouring commitments, or following principles. He remained a good agitator, a master in building a popular narrative and catching people’s imagination, but without the capacity to deliver.

Negotiating the BRI: Insights from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Written by Filippo Boni and Katharine Adeney

Recipient countries need to build mechanisms to ensure that technology transfers and training are integral to the development of BRI projects. Otherwise, these important issues may end up on the backburner.

Faultlines9DLJune 7, 20219dashline, China, Pakistan, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC, Xi Jinping, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, Gwadar, Indian Ocean, Nawaz Sharif, Rashakai Special Economic Zone, Special Economic Zone, FDI, Foreign Direct Investment