What challenges will the new govt face?

Pakistan held a national election yesterday to elect a new government, with multiple crises plaguing the nuclear-armed, South Asian nation of 241 million.

Here are some of the challenges that will confront the government that takes charge:

TREADING A NARROW ECONOMIC RECOVERY PATH

Pakistan narrowly averted sovereign default last summer through a last-gasp $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - but the lender's support ends in March, following which officials believe a new, extended programme will be needed.

Negotiating a new programme, and at speed, will be critical for the new government, which will take over an economy beset by record high inflation and slow growth caused by tough reforms.

LOWERING POLITICAL TEMPERATURES

Political tensions have been high in the run-up to the election due to what former prime minister Imran Khan has called a crackdown on him and his party. The former cricket star has been in jail since August, angering his millions of supporters.

Khan maintains mass popular support in Pakistan, and a continued crackdown and his remaining in jail would only stoke tensions at a time when stability is needed to attract foreign investment to shore up the economy.

LIVING WITH THE MILITARY

Pakistan's military has long held sway over the country but its role has grown even more pervasive in recent years. Khan says the military launched a crackdown on him and his party after they fell out on policy decisions when he was the prime minister. The military denies this.

The military's role in economic decision-making has since been formalised by its representation in the new high-powered body called the Special Investment Facilitation Council.

The new government will need to maintain a balance between keeping the country's powerful generals happy while charting out its own policies.

The new government will need to maintain a balance between keeping the country's powerful generals happy while charting out its own policies.

DEAL WITH RISING MILITANCY

Militant attacks have risen over the past 18 months after a lull when many Islamist groups were driven into neighbouring Afghanistan with a military operation in 2014.

The groups reorganised in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power there in 2021, and have been reportedly using advanced weaponry left behind by Nato-led forces. Militants have carried out a string of high-profile attacks and returned to strongholds inside Pakistan. But Islamabad's limited fiscal space limits its ability to fund another sustained military operation.