Protest nation: On the state of Pakistan
Another mass protest. Another shutdown of the capital city. And another violent crackdown on the protesters by the security forces. Pakistan is witnessing circles of crises, with a prolonged showdown between the military-backed government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the latest episode, PTI supporters marched towards the capital, after Mr. Khan made the “final call” for protests, demanding the release of their leader and other party functionaries. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken many preventive measures — thousands of PTI workers were arrested, security forces blocked city entrances with shipping containers and tens of thousands of forces were deployed. Still, many of the protesters managed to rea...