The Guardian view on Pakistan and the generals: holding a nation back | Editorial

While a country of 250 million people grapples with multiple crises, the political struggle over Imran Khan's future continues

The multiple crises facing Pakistan are not merely daunting, but immense. Six million more people have been plunged into poverty since the devastating floods inundated a third of the country last year; around two in five children in affected areas are suffering stunted growth due to malnutrition. The International Monetary Fund finally approved a $3bn bailout last month, but the economy is still reeling. Attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militants have surged in the north-west. Amid all this, the outgoing government of Shehbaz Sharif has prioritised a new census and the redrawing of constituency boundaries.

The real reason is to delay the general election that was due later this year. The purpose was made pretty plain by the fact that it was announced on the same day that the former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested after a court sentenced him to three years in prison on corruption charges and barred him from politics for five years. The precise details of the case are less significant than the fact that it is only one of well over 100 that he faces. The media has been silenced: broadcasters are unable to mention his name. And parliament has just pushed through more than 50 bills in just two days - handing draconian powers to its feared military intelligence agency. As one seasoned Pakistani observer has noted, removing Mr Khan from electoral politics is not the same as removing him from the political scene. But the army and rival civilian politicians are doing their best to achieve the latter together.

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