A government sans legitimacy in Pakistan

Issues like public distrust and doubtful legitimacy will continue to dog Mr. Shehbaz Sharif who is assuming office of Prime Minister in Pakistan for a second tenure.

Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) will be heading a coalition with its arch rival Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which will not claim any berth in the Sharif cabinet.

But in what is seen as a quid pro quo, the two parties have reached an Army-brokered consensus to concede the presidential chair to the PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari.

The coalitional arrangement is crystallising into a government following nearly a month’s parleys between the two parties who have been pursuing divergent ideologies and have neatly divided constituencies and differ considerably in their history and origin.

Keeping away Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) led by now imprisoned Imran Khan from power will be the common glue and goal for the twin parties to stick together and stay in power.

Khan’s PTI though got largest number of seats (92 out of the total 266 for which elections are held) but not enough to ensure majority amid widespread allegations of rigging.

Khan’s party has accused the new regime to be standing on a ‘stolen mandate’.

A top functionary of Election Commission too had resigned from his post confessing his role in converting defeated candidates into winners under duress in a televised address.

With the credibility of elections under a cloud, nations like the United States and United Kingdom and the European Union have refused to endorse the electoral exercise as free and fair.

Several petitions have been filed in courts against the malpractices and external electoral interference.

With Sharif ’s sister Maryam Nawaz taking over as chief minister of the most populous and key state of Punjab, Pakistan’s governance comes under the dominance of the nation’s two most important dynasties headed by Sharifs and Bhuttos.

The two adversaries-turned-allies will be facing the challenge of continually skating on thin ice and will have to remain beholden to the Army bosses in all that they do to run the affairs of the country facing severe economic crisis.

Amid the unprecedented inflation (28.5%), galloping population (the nation has now 24 crore people), severe shortages of food and coffers almost empty, and a restive Balochistan, they will be called to steer the nation amid a populace thoroughly disenchanted with the electoral outcome and looking askance at the new regime’s moral legitimacy to rule.

Sharif would be needed to immediately negotiate a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to meet debt commitments.

He had proved a skilful negotiator during his first term (April 2022-August 2023) in securing $3 billion loan.

He would need to proceed carefully in Baluchistan where rebellious elements have been mounting attacks against the security forces opposed to leasing of Gwadar port to the Chinese.

It will be called upon to tackle effectively the challenge from Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which has been directed against security forces all through the recent years.

The year 2023 witnessed over 900 persons, 550 of them from security forces, being killed by the TTP militants, a toll higher than total casualties between 2016 and 2023.