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After a disputed election that occurred on 5 February 2024, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N)and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) finally reached a consensus to form the government together. Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shahbaz Sharif is set to become the prime minister of Pakistan for the second time followed by his first term starting from April 2022 to August 2023. In the overdue and controversial poll result, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed independent candidates won a major portion of seats, 93 out of 266 directly elected seats. On the other hand, PML-N and PPP were only able to secure 75 and 54 seats respectively. Therefore, it was the need of time for these three major political parties to form a coalition government with other parties, including minor parties, or to remain in stalemate and have the army take control of the government for another election to take place. 

Pakistani politics has always been heavily influenced by the army. Since the country's inception, Pakistan which translates as “Land of Pure” in Urdu, has always struggled to handle its diverse population whichcurrently comprises over more than twenty recognized languages and three hundred unique dialects. While Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baluchi, and Seraiki are regarded as primary languages, Urdu and English are the official languages. Lahore Resolution which laid the foundation for the eventual creation of Pakistan, was proposed by Jinnah's political party All India Muslim League in 1940 and prioritized the need for a Muslim-majority state within the Indian subcontinent. Though Muslim-majority states opposed the Two-Nation Idea, questions continue over whether the All-India Muslim League truly represents all Muslims in India.

Followed by much confusion and uncertainty, the Partition finally took place in 1947, giving birth to two new countries, India and Pakistan, merely based on the religious front. However, a great portion of Muslims in then-India remained in India. The violence and communal strife that occurred during the partition are estimated to have taken the lives of between 200,000 and 2,000,000 people.In that partition, four Muslim-majority provinces Punjab, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Sindh, and Baluchistan were finalized to be included beforehand. Bengal province was also added at the final moment of partition.

Bengal Province or East Pakistan was geographically distant from the mainland of Pakistan holding 55 percent of the total population of Pakistan. A few months after the partition, war broke out between India and Pakistan over the land issue, primarily over the Kashmir issue. Pakistan initially followed the governance style inherited from British rule. British style governance was officially ended in 1956 claiming to fully become a republic state, officially named the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In 1952, the Language Movement in East Pakistan stated a firm refusal to accept Urdu as the national language, as East Pakistan’s majority of people spoke Bangla. The language movement is just the starting of the upcoming problems that will occur due to the various diversity among Pakistani people. The first military coup that took place in 1958 overthrew Iskander Mirza, then president of Pakistan, turning General Ayub Khan into the new president. In 1971 Under the rule of General Yahya Khan who succeeded Ayub Khan in 1969,the Indo-Pakistani war took place which seceded East Pakistan from Pakistan, and formed a new country called Bangladesh. General Zia Ul Haque staged the second military coup in 1977, initially following the second national election in which the Pakistan People's Party led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was elected to power. After gaining power, Zia made eight amendments to the 1973 constitution which helped him secure absolute power over the parliamentary body and banned all political parties thereafter. In addition, he put efforts into converting Pakistan into an Islamic Shariat Law following country. Following the 1988 election, Muhammad Khan Junejo became the prime minister with the support of President Zia. A few months later, on May 29, 1988, President Zia removed the prime minister and dissolved the National Assembly, accusing Junejo of a number of offenses. In that year Zia died in a plane crash which paved the way for another election in November. Pakistan People’s Party won the November election under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. However, President Ishaq Khan dismissed Benazir in 1990. 1997 election followed by the election in 1993,Pakistan Muslim League-N or PML-N party won the majority of seats under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. He amended the constitution to remove the authority of the president over the dismissal of the prime minister. The turn of events occurred when General Musharraf initiated a third Military Coup in 1999 creating a new position named Chief Executive for himself to secure absolute power. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, in the next year’s election, the PPP won the majority turning Gilani into the new prime minister. Musharraf resigns from his position in that year due to several allegations and pressures. In the 2013 election, Nawaz Sharif became prime minister for the second time only to resign in 2017 due to allegations against him related Panama Paper Scandal. In the 2018 election, Imran Khan’s PTI won the election, again only to force him to resign from his prime minister position in 2022 due to the no-confidence vote against him. Later on, Shahbaz Sharif held the prime minister position after the dismissal of Imran.

Pakistan’s continuum of re-election and dismissal of the leaders prompts global speculation about the 2024 election too. Imran Khan’s Party PTI intended to remain a strong opposition party in the parliament. On the other hand, PML-N and PPP are walking their way together to form a new government. The lack of a strong political leader or party that can make firm decisions for the country and maintain stability always puts the country in a state of political crisis. The political crisis makes the Pakistan administration dependent on the army to hold stability which eventually harms the democracy of the country.

Aong Cha Ching Marma is an intern at CGS

The views expressed in this write-up are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies of CGS.