ollowing what was one of the most politically eventful weekends in recent history, the country witnessed the swearing in of Shahbaz Sharif as the new prime minister earlier this week. The development came in the wake of over a week-long series of political manoeuvring and parliamentary strategies that culminated with the ouster of Imran Khan’s government following a successful no-trust motion against him. History has been created on that count.

While there are those who celebrate the victory of parliamentary politics through a democratic process, there are also those who remain sceptical of the timing, wondering if the completion of his tenure by an elected prime minister could have been a more desirable first. For its part, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf made sure to go out the hard way – some even describe it as an ungraceful exit. From allegations of high treason against political opponents to fuelling theories regarding foreign involvement in the ouster of his government, one could say Imran Khan did play till the last ball but perhaps not in a very gentlemanly fashion.

Be that as it may, the prime minister’s ouster has not come without its share of challenges. A new coalition government is in place till the next elections or so one hopes. Will the coalition members continue to support one another now that they share the benches on the commanding side of the floor? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, in an altogether familiar way, Imran Khan has kicked off an agitation on the streets of Pakistan against the new government calling for fresh elections. In a televised address earlier this year, he had warned the then opposition that if he was forced out of office he would become even more ‘dangerous’. Now that he has been voted out, one wonders how worried the new government should be.