Political crisis in Pakistan
Sermon on the container
FROM a base in converted shipping container, placed on Islamabad’s main thoroughfare, Tahir ul Qadri, a populist cleric who has been demanding changes to Pakistan’s electoral system, delivered thunderous addresses all this week. Many saw the troubling influence of Pakistan’s powerful armed forces behind him. That may be why he felt able to make extraordinary demands on the government.
In the end, late on January 17th, the government appeared to bow to the mysterious cleric—who has proved himself a brilliant orator—saying it would meet most of his calls for electoral reforms. Some had suspected that the army was trying to find a way to postpone the elections altogether.