The overthrow of the elected government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will likely have several severe consequences: • Heighten local alienation and insecurity: The move will further alienate the local population while worsening the overall security situation in both the region and Pakistan as a whole. • Increase terrorism: It creates a political vacuum that facilitates increased recruitment and operational opportunities for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). • Empowere secessionism: The resulting instability will strengthen Pashtun secessionist movements. • Damage Pakistan's international standing: This action will further tarnish Pakistan's image in the West. The Pakistani regime is already classified as authoritarian by the Democracy Index, and this move deepens that perception. These developments in turn create opportunities for Pakistan's regional rivals to increase support for groups challenging the security establishment and its strategies causing it to overextend and weaken. The architects of this intervention probably hope that it will undermine support for Imran Khan and fragment his political base. However, this strategy risks strengthening extremist forces—though sadly, that is an outcome the establishment may actually welcome, on the theory that a chaotic environment makes their authority more relevant. Be careful what you wish for! Imran Khan, his supporters and other democratic forces must rise with an effective counter strategy of their own. #Pakistan