Pakistan’s top court on Tuesday ruled to hand control of the country's most populous province, Punjab, to a candidate backed by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, triggering fresh political uncertainty in the South Asian nation amidst a crippling economic crisis.
The move ramps up pressure on the federal government, made up of a coalition of parties that ousted Khan from premiership in April, as it attempts to implement tough, and unpopular, economic reforms to stave off a financial crisis.
In a short order, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that a Khan-backed candidate for Punjab's chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, had been wrongfully denied victory in a vote last week, and ordered he be installed as the province's premier before midnight on Tuesday.
