Explained: What Imran Khan’s ouster as Pakistan PM means for India

What is the News?

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote.

What are the key takeaways from this?

Pakistan Democracy: Pakistan’s flawed democracy is still seen as a “guided democracy”. No elected Prime Minister there has ever completed his or her five-year term. 

However, this is the first time a sitting PM in Pakistan has been voted out, this has been a normal occurrence in India. This suggests democracy in Pakistan is gradually finding its feet, albeit with some help from the military establishment.

Pakistan Army still in Control: Known to be the Pakistan Army’s candidate, Imran Khan’s government was widely referred to as a “hybrid regime”. His ouster is a clear signal that the Pakistan Army is in “complete control”. It has shown that the power to change the prime minister still lies in Rawalpindi — the Pakistan Army’s headquarters.

How will this impact India-Pakistan relations?

The next Prime Minister might be Shehbaz Sharif. This is important for India, as the Sharif family has always been very positive about improving relations with India.

Moreover, at present, there are some green shoots in the otherwise troublesome India-Pakistan ties:

– First, the ceasefire, as agreed upon in February 2021 has largely been adhered to. This builds confidence that the understanding at the higher political-military level as well as the ground level has been observed, and they are broadly in sync. 

– Second, the situation in Afghanistan, and India’s humanitarian help such as the transportation of wheat via Pakistan have shown that there is scope for cooperation for “limited purposes”.

Hence, from India’s perspective, the power shift in Pakistan signals the possibility of an improvement of ties, amid potential challenges and difficulties.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What Imran Khan’s ouster as Pakistan PM means for India” published in Indian Express on 11th April 2022.