Pakistan has lately been going through an economic crisis with dwindling foreign reserves, dramatic depreciation of its currency and political uncertainty.
Now Pakistan is going through a humanitarian disaster with unprecedented flooding bringing misery to millions of people in the country.
During the last few months, Pakistan has also been going through a political and constitutional crisis since 3 April 2022 with the removal of Prime Minister Imran Khan orchestrated by a parliamentary vote of no confidence on 10 April 2022.
Imran alleged that a foreign country, pointedly the US was involved in the regime change because he conducted an independent foreign policy and had friendly relations with China and Russia.
His removal led to unprecedented protests from his supporters across Pakistan that have continued to date. In rallies all over the country attended by hundreds of thousands of people, Imran has been calling for early elections that are due in October 2023.
Witnessing his popular appeal and success in by-elections recently held in the province of Punjab, the interim government formed by a coalition of opposition parties with a long track record of corruption, are trying their best to deny him political office in the country.
Pakistan’s media regulatory body imposed the ban after Imran criticised police, judicial officials, and other state institutions in a speech in the capital, Islamabad, on 20 August.
However, the High Court of Pakistan has now suspended the ban on live broadcasts Imran Khan’s speeches, ruling the state’s media regulatory body had “exceeded its authority”.
On 22 August 2022, Imran was charged by the Pakistani police under anti-terror laws after he accused the police and judiciary of detaining and torturing his close aide Shahbaz Gill.
Imran accused police of torturing Shahbaz in custody and said the charges against his him were a conspiracy to pit his party against the military.
Imran is expected to appear before the court on Wednesday 31 August and the saga will continue with the current government bent on denying his return to power by all possible means.
The flood disaster in Pakistan will possibly now take precedence over the political crisis and it’s sad that there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for crisis-prone Pakistan.
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