... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
and Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
vied for ascendency. For the first time in Pakistain's history, a civilian government completed its tenure and passed on the reins of government to a care-taker setup. PML-N was expected to do well in the elections due to its popularity in Pakistain's largest province, Punjab. PTI was expected to win enough seats to play a role as coalition partner. Election results surprised many observers as PML-N swept the stakes and gained enough seats to form a government on its own. PTI gained a majority in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
(KP) province and was able to form a coalition government in the state.
Imran Khan alleged massive rigging in PML-N's favour and demanded re-elections. The PML-N government dangled carrots in shape of promises but nothing substantial came forth. After a year of sloganeering, PTI decided to stage a long march towards Islamabad and to stage a sit-in until its demands were met. They were joined by an unlikely ally in the form of a maverick holy man named Tahirul-Qadri whose party Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) had not participated in the elections. It resulted in something known as the 'June Plan', which envisaged the storming of the capital and protesting until the government packed up, à la colour revolutions.
Background deals with members of establishment were made beforehand through former spy chiefs. Mr. Qadri was supposed to arrive in Lahore on June 23 to spearhead the moment. The Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
Government panicked beforehand and attacked his compound guarded by an armed militia of Qadri supporters. As a result, more than a dozen Qadri supporters including women were killed. The 'revolution' had found its first deaders.
In August, Imran Khan led a 'Long March' from Lahore to Islamabad. To the dismay of the planners, few people turned up for the actual march. Tahirul-Qadri led his supporters to join the march, as a plan B. The sit-in continued for many months and included an attack on the Parliament. Military top-brass summoned the stakeholders to defuse the situation. The 'revolutionary leaders' were overjoyed by the military's intervention but the final push never came. The sit-in became a place of daily entertainment with live music and festive atmosphere. National Media gave prominent coverage to every statement uttered by the leaders of opposition parties. The plan failed because junior military officers refused to take part in another putsch and other opposition parties demonstrated solidarity with the government for the sake of democracy.