In Pakistan, the future Prime Minister will face many challenges

A man looks at morning newspapers displayed at a roadside stand in Islamabad on April 10, 2022. © AFP - FAROOQ NAEEM

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

While Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power by a vote of no confidence in the Assembly, a new government will be set up in Pakistan.

Many financial challenges await him.

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The day after his ouster, supporters of Imran Khan were called to gather this Sunday evening in a park in central Islamabad.

They were a few thousand inside the park, reports our correspondent,

.

Supporters waved the flags of the PTI, the party of Imran Khan.

We heard shouting of slogans “ 

 Some wrapped their heads in party flags.

We spoke with some of his supporters, including a young man who explained that he was there to denounce the interference of the United States.

► To read also: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan overthrown by a motion of censure

The name of the successor of the deposed Prime Minister is beyond doubt.

Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition when Imran Khan was in power, will take over the reins of the country on Monday.

The leader of the PML-N, the Muslim league, will have to form a coalition government with the PPP, the Pakistani people's party, and the conservative party JUI-F.

It is the return to power of the dynastic political parties that have dominated Pakistani political life for decades.

Parties splashed by numerous corruption cases.

Historically rival parties joined forces recently to overthrow Imran Khan.

This alliance of circumstance, which had the expected results, will it also be victorious in the sharing of power?

Few think so in Pakistan.

Some even fear greater instability.

The new government will have to face various political and security challenges, but also manage a country plunged into a serious economic crisis where inflation has been one of the sources of discontent of the population with regard to Imran Khan.

Rampant inflation

Inflation now stands at around 12%.

Added to this is an external debt that reaches 130 billion dollars, more than 40% of Pakistan's GDP.

The national currency, the rupee, trades at 190 rupees to the dollar.

A depreciation of almost a third compared to 2018, the year Imran Kahn was elected, explains

from RFI's economy department.

Moreover, the expected financing capacities were not reached.

The International Global Fund's installment loan of $6 billion has not been paid in full.

Only half of the funds have been disbursed.

In question, there are reforms that have not been completed by the government.

Among them, the IMF demanded the reduction of subsidies on certain goods or even the improvement of the tax collection rate.

Pakistan is also still under pressure from the financial action task force, an intergovernmental body in charge of encouraging states to adopt legislation against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

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• Pakistan

• Imran Khan