Since the inception of Pakistan in 1947, this country has witnessed a mix of democratic and authoritarian regimes, with different ideals. Currently, Pakistan is divided into a number of political parties, all trying to come out on top. A struggling economy, rampant corruption, and widespread political instability sought the ousting of Imran Khan, the former prime minister, with a no-confidence vote on April 10th, by a rival political party known as the PMLN (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz). It has been a rollercoaster ride since the formation of Pakistan. The purpose of this essay is to do a nuanced and thought-provoking analysis of the underlying factors of the political instability in Pakistan.

Between 1947 and 1989, Pakistan's economy had been doing well until the 1990s rolled around, primarily because of poor governance. Gradually, the economy started to decline, and by 2008, Pakistan was struggling economically. Corruption got normalized due to the absence of efficient accountability. People understood that they could get away with bribes and other malpractices. Poor economic policies added fuel to fire. A large number of loans were pouring in, but they could not sustain the country in the long run. 

Coalition governments have a history of instability, as is the case with Pakistan. Imran Khan had a coalition government with MQM and PMLQ, but the alliance fell because of internal politics. On April 10, 2022, a no-confidence vote was presented against Imran Khan, and the vote was passed, causing Imran Khan to lose his office as Prime Minister. Imran Khan accused the U.S. of backing the no-confidence vote, further stating that rival parties are conspiring against him with U.S. aid, which further weakened Pakistan's ties with the western world. The U.S. denies these claims and doesn’t act upon them further. To add insult to injury, Imran Khan made a high-profile visit to Moscow in early February to contend for a bid about Russian energy assistance while the war was happening. Given the economic collapse and political instability, Imran Khan is hoping for an early election. Because of his rallies and protests, people will most likely vote for him because he seems to be the lesser of all evils and is supposedly the last hope for Pakistan. On the other hand, the PMLN is trying to delay the election as far as possible because they do not want Imran Khan back in the office. In the meantime, they want to restore their image and put themselves in the spotlight. 

On the political side, it looks like Imran Khan will prevail, but other political parties are resisting. It is a very challenging time, where Inflation is increasing in addition to the fear of Pakistan's defaulting but hopefully, we will get through these times and eventually everything will settle down.