A look into the tumultuous history of Pakistan

Few would have expected the world’s attention to turn to Pakistan when on August 14, the country’s Independence Day, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan began his ‘ Azadi March’ from Lahore to Islamabad, demanding prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, alleging that he had won a rigged election last year.

But last weekend, thousands of protestors from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party and cleric Tahirul-Qadri’s outfit, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, surrounded Sharif’s house and stormed the parliament building. The incident combined with Sharif’s frosty relationship with the army has stoked fears of further instability in a country which has often been defined by it, though Khan and Qadri held talks with Opposition leaders to reach an agreement, but to no avail. ET Magazine delves into the tumultuous history of the country.