Pakistan in 2012: An Assertive Judiciary in a Pre-Election Year

In the lead up to Pakistan’s national elections scheduled for 2013, the judiciary and the legislature have clashed over the reopening of corruption cases against President Zardari. Prime Minister Gilani was forced from office, and the crisis abated due to his successor’s actions. The Supreme Court ruled that military intelligence illegally interfered with an earlier election. Fiscal crises, sectarian violence, insurgency, and slow economic growth continue to pose serious challenges. U.S. aid was resumed after NATO supply lines were re-opened, but tensions remain over U.S. drone strikes. The Pakistani rupee sank to a record low. The country’s democratic transition is still young, and consolidation may promote solvency and improve governance.