ASSESSMENTS

Why the Protests in Pakistan Will Likely Fail to Oust Khan

Nov 6, 2019 | 10:30 GMT

Supporters of the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) party attend an anti-government rally in Islamabad on Nov. 5. JUI-F party leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman led thousands of supporters into the capital and vowed to continue his protest until Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan steps down.

Anti-government protesters attend a Nov. 5 rally in Islamabad. Thousands of demonstrators thronged the capital on Nov. 5 to demand the removal of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan from office.

(AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Highlights

Pakistan's opposition parties have relied on street power to push for the ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, which they deem illegitimate.
Fueled by Islamabad's surging fiscal and account deficits, the country's economic crisis has also helped stoke anti-government sentiment.
As long as Khan continues to grant policy autonomy to Pakistan's highly influential army, however, his government's survival is all but ensured in the months ahead.

Tens of thousands of opposition protesters stormed the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Oct. 31, demanding that Prime Minister Imran Khan step down over allegations that his government won a rigged election in July 2018. The demonstrations were the latest of a growing surge of Pakistani unrest in response to the country's slowing economy and soaring inflation. But while the influx of political unrest and economic anger all but guarantee a rocky few months for the former cricketer-turned-prime minister, Khan's ties to the country's politically powerful army will ensure he's able to weather the storm....

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