As Gandhara reported on 3 March 2021, a close ally of Imran Khan suffered an electoral defeat which could have jeopardized the
stability of his government. However, on 6 March the prime minister succeeded in
winning a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, as reported by The Independent on 7 March 2021.
Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "In the Senate elections on 3 March 2021, the government Finance Minister and close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, suffered a surprising defeat against a former Prime Minister and opposition candidate. Khan"s PTI party lost other seats too, but this was the most surprising and prominent one. Given that the army has a strong influence in the election process, it is not clear why Shaikh would have been dropped, especially as he had gained the trust of the IMF, indispensable for obtaining bailouts and getting the country taken off the Financial Action Task Force"s (FATF) money-laundering list. "
Thomas Muller continues: "This weakening of the government could have led to a period of political uncertainty if PM Kahn had lost the vote of confidence. It is a time when religious intolerance would appear to be increasing. One observer has warned that the country could soon be "˜
overwhelmed" by the Islamist forces which the ruling elite called into being but has not been able to hold in check (Associated Press, 27 February 2021). Religious minorities are also deeply concerned about the increase in militant violence, which they have been warning about for many years already."
