With Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified from his position, Pakistan’s political future looks extremely grim moving forward.

What happened?

With the next election of a prime minister looming in the horizon, yet another civilian government was ousted, this time with corruption charges against the current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A series of corruption charges associated with the Panama Papers placated the Prime Minister’s children as profiteers from the government as owners of offshore companies that laundered money from the government.

PM Sharif was a breath of fresh air for the Pakistani population, as he represented the desires of the people as a civilian representative. Upon his departure, it is almost inevitably projected that the military government will once again be reinstated in Pakistan. The political succession process has all but completely been eliminated for Sharif’s family, guaranteeing the succession to be by an alternative political representative.

The political party affiliated with Sharif replied with resilience, stating that they would be moving forward with zeal and attempting to maintain the influence of the political party as strong as possible in the coming years after the removal of Sharif. However, the projection is not favorable for the party, as the political party representative of the military has greater influence over the politics than the opposing party.

What does this mean?

A re-entry into the military political sphere of Pakistan can spell disaster for Pakistan, as the damages it can potentially do to the political sphere is unimaginable. The current political party may maintain their hold with the placement of another representative to continue the term. However, this is still a blow to the political reputation of the party as well as the strength of the influence the party holds over the politics. The advancement of the country could potentially be at a standstill due to this conflict, which can drastically decrease the productivity and development of the country and reinforce the problems already at hand.

The surrounding political climate is no better, as potential volatility in regards to territory, as well as religion-fueled conflict in neighboring countries India and Afghanistan, allow for a turbulent political climate. With Pakistan’s apparent weakness, it may add fuel to the fire, as potential furthering of pressure from India may allow them to capitalize on the political conflict, and subsequently exacerbate the present conflict, causing it to escalate to dramatic proportions.

For the population, it is yet again a regress to turbulent times. Constant instability in the government, as well as instances of corruption, continually mark the legacy of the modern Pakistani government, and such developments only damage the progress of the political regime.

Such conflicts bode for a dark future for Pakistan.