At Himal Southasian, we are aficionados of the long read, but we do understand that both attention (and time) are scarce. That's the thinking behind Himal Briefs – a new initiative that will bring crisp, informed, contextual analysis from across Southasia. As the series title suggests, we aim to keep it short (if not sweet!) It is also a nod to the Briefs section from our print magazine days, which long time readers may recall. Our aim is to capture recent developments that our longer pieces might sometimes miss.
Expect an insider's view from some former contributors (and a few new faces) on major developments as well as underreported topics from across the region, ranging from politics, to social issues, legislation, economic concerns, cultural debates, the environment, and media and the public sphere. We hope Himal Briefs makes it to your reading lists.
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On 10 April, 2022, when Imran Khan's government was defeated in a vote of no-confidence, it marked the end of a regime that came into power in July 2018 with active support from the military. As recent events have shown, this defeat was partly engineered by the military establishment, which was forced to profess 'neutrality'. This effectively meant withdrawing support in the face of growing criticism of a regime that played a key role in pushing Pakistan to the brink of bankruptcy. The military establishment's 'neutrality' has yielded consequences, including a significant shift within the institutional trajectory of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.