WASHINGTON (February 23, 2024) – 2024 is a year of big elections worldwide. The recent Pakistan election has created different outcome for their military than expected. The New York Times reports, “Pakistanis once thought of the military as the iron hand controlling the country’s politics. That illusion has been broken, creating one of the establishment’s biggest crises yet… The country’s military is accused of rigging vote counts in this month’s election.”
For more context on the matter, please consider Atta Nasib, Lecturer at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. Professor Nasib is an expert on U.S.-Afghanistan and Pakistan Relations as well as International Relations of South Asia and the Middle East. Nasib has served as a Senior Program Assistant at the United States Institute of Peace(USIP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan. He studies a broad range of research interested including global affairs, human and economic development, governance and security and technology.
On the news, Nasib has said, “My analysis is that the unprecedented electoral support for candidates aligned with Imran Khan, despite the military's attempts to curb his influence, signals a notable shift in the public's tolerance for military intervention in politics. This scenario illustrates a burgeoning demand for genuine democratic governance and poses a significant challenge to the military's longstanding dominance over Pakistan's political landscape. The events reflect a critical test of the military's willingness to adapt to a changing political environment and the resilience of Pakistan's democratic institutions in the face of such challenges. This dynamic interplay between military influence and democratic aspirations will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of Pakistan's political future.
If you would like to speak with Professor Atta Nasib, please contact Media Relations Specialists Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].
-GW-