Publication

This brief addresses the situation in Pakistan in the wake of a protest march and sit-in led by cleric Tahirul Qadri in Islamabad in January 2013. At a time when Pakistan's civilian government, army and judiciary are still negotiating the parameters of their influence, this march was rightly perceived, argues the author, as an indicator of political turmoil. The march was widely believed to be an attempt by the military or judiciary, or both, to delay elections and subvert Pakistan's democratic transition. The protest also had implications for Pakistan's internal security owing to its sectarian dimensions.