The Dope is awesome for giving info on matters outside of the US (at least to me).
However I haven’t read anything about the protest march(es?) in Pakistan. Just about all information is from mainstream media and I’m like to hear from people in the region about the march.
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum. I doubt this is cut and dry so GQ is out; I don’t know if there would be much debate so GD may not fit.
I’m ‘in the region’ (India), but of course not properly qualified to comment. We have a Pakistani poster AK84 who would be better placed to tell you more. My personal sense is that the protests are a last gasp attempt at relevance by Imran Khan, the politician who is leading them. And while they will occupy headlines, they will cause little de jure change in the arrangements in Pakistan. However, they will weaken the PM Nawaz Sharif while strengthening the army. I also feel that it’s important to note that since Pakistani power relationships and dynamics are unusually byzantine, I do not hold that opinion with a great deal of confidence.
Election was in May 2013. The government in power today won a (bare) majority. There was a question of irregularities in 4(out of 342 total) seats, won by the Government. There has been a long inquiry on the issue and it seems the claims had merit.
Compounding the problem is the fact is the Imran Khan is charismatic and popular (I disagree with blydsabba on irrelevance while Nawaz Sharif is a barely sentient piece of meet with a patato for a head (can you guess my political position :D), many of NS’s best people are busy abandoning him due to what has been perceived as his tendancy to not take his Parliamentary party into consideration when making decisions only some advisors, which is pretty much in the opposite of what you re supposed to do in a parliamentary system (he was actually censured by the Senate on this issue a few months back).
End result is that NS will probably limp on for a few months or years and eventually new elections will come, IK will become even more popular and our cricket team will still suck balls.
I was under the impression that PMLN won quite convincingly. Wiki has conflicting numbers, but the most authoritative cite I’ve been able to find - Election Commission of Pakistan
suggests that PMLN is the largest party by a huge margin, with 189 seats to 46 of the PPP. Further digging reveals they won 169 and had a bunch of opportunists join them. Still, in a multi party system, one party getting that many seats is usually a settled win. Unless, that is, the rigging that is alleged was widespread.
I would agree that Imran is by far the more charismatic and likable man. My doubts are about his ability to translate those qualities into political power, and hence my comment about his irrelevance. It could just be the cynic in me. I wouldn’t mind if he proves me wrong in the future. How does that Canadian Qadri fit into the picture?
Have the protest been as big as they were expected to be? I thought I read somewhere that they turned out to be (almost literally) a damp squib.
The protests almost became a small, wet explosive device?
It rained on the first day, making the protests less well attended(and hence less explosive) than supporters would have hoped.
If I am correct the election cycles are every 5 years and the next election won’t be until 2018 unless the parliament is dissolved.
The protest was Imran Khan wanting the resignation of Nawaz Sharif.
Do you think the protests will affect Nawaz Sharif in any way?
Will the protests do anything other than to keep Imran Khan in the public eye?
Thanks for the info given already and I apologize for my gross oversimplification of the situation.
AK84 - What’re your thoughts on this article?
Bump.
bump again
AK84 are you ok?
I am ok thanks. Unfortunately, my grandmother fell ill and then died last week, so I have had little time for following political developments.
You probably know more than me now.
Sorry to hear that. Losing my grandmother was really tough on me, so I can identify, FWIW.
My sincere condolences for your loss, AK84.