In an interview to discuss the forthcoming elections in Pakistan, which are currently scheduled to be held in twelve day’s time on February 8, one of the country’s foremost television journalists, Hamid Mir, says, despite speculation to the contrary, he expects the elections to be held on time but says they will be “selections” and he believes Nawaz Sharif will be “imposed” as Prime Minister.
In a 30-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Mir, speaking from Islamabad, said he does not believe any party will get a simple majority. He said if the turnout is around 40% Nawaz Sharif’s PML will benefit. If the turnout is 50% or more then candidates standing on behalf of Imran Khan’s PTI will benefit.
Mir said after the elections Army Chief General Munir and the army will play a significant role in helping secure foreign investment for Pakistan. He does not believe that this could clash with Nawaz Sharif’s interests – Sharif is widely perceived as a man with considerable experience handling the economy – and the two will rely more heavily on China for investment than on the West.
Mir said Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan, America and India will depend very much on the attitude those countries adopt towards Pakistan. Again, he does not expect there will be serious differences between a future Nawaz Sharif government and General Munir handling these issues.