Pakistan 2022: The geopolitics of Imran Khan’s fall and the fledgling government of Shehbaz Sharif

In early 2022, opposition parties, led by the Pakistani People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistani Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), stepped up their attacks on Prime Minister Imran Khan to oust him. Allies of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governmental coalition also expressed dissatisfaction with Khan due to dire financial straits from worsening national economic distress. The government of the former cricket player lost its parliamentary majority and faced a no-confidence vote from the opposition. Although the ousting of the Khan government was officially motivated by economic misrule, it was ultimately driven by friction over foreign and domestic policy decisions resulting in Khan losing the support of the Army. In a swift turn of events, the National Assembly accepted Khan’s allegations of a plot between the United States and the opposition to oust him and rejected the no-trust motion. However, an intervention of the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned these decisions. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, the political opposition dismissed Khan with a parliamentary vote. Imran Khan was succeeded by Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leader of an alliance of united opposition parties having the common aim to ouster the PTI government. The fledgling government had to address a dire economic crisis amidst significant pressures from Khan’s PTI opposition party and an unprecedented natural disaster crisis. In parallel, the new administration had to mend relations with Washington cooled by Imran Khan’s foreign policy, taking care not to compromise crucial ties with Beijing.