PM under fire?

Prime Minister Imran Khan will return home to a deepening political crisis Monday, with pressure mounting over a deal struck with hardliners that analysts say has eroded faith in his government. Khan spent the last four days on a state visit to China, trying to win some desperately needed relief for his country's parlous finances.
The overturning of Aasia Bibi's conviction, which Pakistan's top judges ruled was based on flimsy evidence, ended Bibi's eight year ordeal on death row. But it enraged hardliners who took to the streets, blockaded major cities and demanded her immediate execution.
The protests were only brought to an end once Khan's administration agreed to a deal with the hardliners, where Bibi would remain in Pakistan while a final review of the Supreme Court's ruling takes place. Many critics saw the climbdown as another capitulation to hardliners who called for the assassination of the country's Supreme Court justices and mutiny against the army's top brass in the ruling's wake.
"The government seems to be directionless and it does not seem to have a proper strategy," said analyst Fasi Zaka. "The government has just bought time and we're still waiting to see what they do." Only a few days earlier, Khan had been riding a wave of positive energy.
Shortly before his departure for China he delivered a speech vowing to confront the protesters head on, winning widespread praise from those detractors who had long accused him of courting extremists. The protests calling for Bibi's execution were being headed by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party (TLP). Many critics of Khan noted that it was the second time his young administration had folded to TLP demands.
"Khan may have won the election, but it is Rizvi who seems to be ruling Pakistan today," wrote columnist Fahd Husain in an editorial published in Express Tribune over the weekend. "The government must act against the TLP to sustain its popularity," added security analyst Amir Rana. "The government looks weak and fragile."
The TLP issued a warning late Monday saying they were prepared to take to the streets again as reports claimed that dozens of the group's activists had been arrested. The government continued to defend the deal Monday, saying the agreement had averted violence. "We dispersed them in a peaceful way which is an achievement," Information Minister Fawad Chaudry told reporters.
Analysts said Khan's government had little strategy in place for following through on the vow to confront the protests, which were quickly snow-balling. "I think there's a huge fear of a backlash," said analyst Zahid Hussain, adding that the powerful army also did not appear to support a potential crackdown.
Adding to the weekend's woes, Khan appeared to be returning from traditional ally China empty-handed as he tries to reduce the amount of funds Pakistan will likely seek from the International Monetary Fund in bailout talks.
A statement released late Sunday hinted at new assistance from the Chinese but made no mention of the billions the government had been hoping to secure. "The prime minister is facing a real problem as he went to China to get an aid package, but he was given a cool reception," said Zaka. The reception that awaits him on return might get much hotter.