Coup-plagued Pakistan, Arif Rafiq writes at Foreign Policy, "has yet to see a transition of power between two successive democratically elected governments." And with the rise of a massive anti-government protest movement led by the Pakistani cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri -- plus the Supreme Court's order this week to arrest the Pakistani prime minister on corruption charges -- that milestone could once again prove elusive ahead of the country's general elections this spring.
Above, Qadri supporters wave Pakistani flags and chant slogans at a protest rally in Islamabad on Jan. 16 -- the third day of the largest political demonstration seen for years in the capital. Protesters, urged on by Qadri, are calling for the government to relinquish power after the Supreme Court's order for the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
A protester waves the Pakistani national flag in Islamabad on Jan. 16.
