But Pakistan’s state of political uncertainty doesn’t end there. Now that his bid to block the army chief appointment has failed, Khan has shocked everyone with a new move: He has announced that the PTI will pull out of the provincial assemblies it controls. He has played his final card. Pakistanis are bracing for what happens next.
Mir added that "Khan’s attempts to foment instability by stirring up conflict with the army probably serve his larger goal of pushing for fresh elections this winter." Mir says that according to some politicians "Khan is intentionally trying to provoke a state of martial law because he wants to become a political martyr to avoid disqualification under corruption charges."
Khan had said in a recent interview: “Let there be martial law, I am not scared.”
About the incoming army chief, Mir says that his biggest challenge will be to stay 'neutral'.
Remaining neutral will be the biggest challenge for the new army chief. He must prove that he is not taking sides and that he is not more powerful than the parliament, which should be allowed to shape the country’s foreign policy — especially regarding Afghanistan and relations with India — without interference. The new army chief should focus his efforts on the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the areas bordering Afghanistan, where his soldiers are coming under attack every day.
According to Mir, political instability might continue during weeks to come.
In the meantime, Imran Khan has formally ended his Long March. “I have decided not to go to Islamabad because I know there will be havoc, and the loss will be to the country,” Khan said in his first public address in Rawalpindi, since an assassination attempt earlier this month.