The results of Pakistan’s general elections on Feb. 8 reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s civil and military establishment, but they seemed to bring about the opposite of what many voters wanted. Independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party—barred from running under its banner—won more seats in parliament than any major party but not enough for a majority. Parliamentary arithmetic necessitated a coalition, and Khan, who is in prison on corruption charges, refused to negotiate with his rivals.
Pakistan’s new government was instead formed by a coalition of legacy parties, including the center-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the center-left Pakistan Peoples Party, led by former President Asif Ali
