that s obviously a global issue, but it shot up more sharply and for a greater length of time than many other countries in this region, for example. and what really seemed to do it for imran khan and the military was a rather niche argument or dispute between the two sides over who should head the intelligence services. imran khan wanted the same chap who was already in place, lieutenant general faiz hameed, to stay on the army chief wanted someone else. tell me now about shehbaz sharif, who s now taken over as prime minister. will we see a difference in pakistan s approach to russia perhaps, about ukraine, other issues? or will it be really the mixture as before? shehbaz sharif is part of one of these two political dynasties that, until the arrival of imran khan on the scene, dominated pakistani politics for decades. his elder brother, nawaz sharif, has served as prime minister on three occasions. his son is now also
but pakistan s politics are always turbulent, and imran khan has now fallen victim to them. i asked secunder kermani, our pakistan correspondent, to explain. imran khan is elected in 2018 after a struggle for more than 20 years. he emerges as a fresh, energising force in pakistani politics, disrupting a two party system that had been dominated by two established political dynasties. but, at the same time, worrying allegations emerged that, and very credible allegations, that, in order to win that election, he had sought the covert support of pakistan s powerful military. and the army in pakistan has either directly or indirectly controlled pakistan for nearly all of its existence, many would say. and initially, he seemed to be in a very secure position because he s charismatic, he s articulate. i know you ve met him on a number of occasions as well, john,
in pakistan s approach to russia perhaps, about ukraine, other issues? or will it be really the mixture as before? shehbaz sharif is part of one of these two political dynasties that, until the arrival of imran khan on the scene, dominated pakistani politics for decades. his elder brother, nawaz sharif, has served as prime minister on three occasions. his son is now also an influential politician, too. and shehbaz sharif, he served as chief minister of punjab, that s pakistan s most populous province, under the government prior to imran khan coming into power. he had a reputation of being efficient, hardworking, credited with bringing in a number of major infrastructure projects. but he and his brother and the many others in his family have also been accused of corruption. now, he hasn t been convicted of an offence, but he has spent periods in jail under this last tenure of imran khan most recently. his brother, nawaz sharif, was disqualified and then convicted
are always turbulent, and imran khan has now fallen victim to them. i asked secunder kermani, our pakistan correspondent, to explain. imran khan is elected in 2018 after a struggle for more than 20 years. he emerges as a fresh, energising force in pakistani politics, disrupting a two party system that had been dominated by two established political dynasties. but, at the same time, worrying allegations emerged that, and very credible allegations, that, in order to win that election, he had sought the covert support of pakistan s powerful military. and the army in pakistan has either directly or indirectly controlled pakistan for nearly all of its existence, many would say. and initially, he seemed to be in a very secure position because he s charismatic, he s articulate. i know you ve met him on a number of occasions as well, john, so you can testify that, you know, he has a great, impressive