Pakistan wasn’t prospering under the governing prowess of Imran Kahn, the former cricketer, but now that he has been ousted in a No Confidence vote, he’s been replaced by one of the old Sharif dynasty. The new PM Shehbaz Sharif, brother of the former three-times PM Nawaz Sharif, (undone by the Pandora Papers offshore scandal), has been accused of corruption in the past but never found guilty in court.
With less charisma than the former PM he is known as an administrator and is likely to heal rifts with the USA. Khan made himself unpopular by being pro-Putin and pro-Taliban and accused the USA of meddling though it was his economic mismanagement which was his undoing. Pakistan now faces one of Asia’s worst cost of living crises, with annual inflation on a basket of key goods last week hitting 15 per cent. Although he did deliver some of what he promised, issuing cards that allowed many Pakistanis to obtain health insurance for the first time. Crucially he also fell out with the all-powerful military whose support helped him into government.
Khan has signalled he will not go quietly and could continue to be a political disrupter, tapping into anti-American sentiment and voter unease about the return of the Sharif dynasty.
The Pakistan country chart, 14 August 1947 9.30 am Karachi, was always going to be moving through a stormy, fast-changing few years starting mid 2021 with tr Uranus (and tr Saturn) tugging on the Pluto Saturn and Venus conjunction in Leo. That is jolting and jangling through this year till early 2023, after which tr Uranus will square the Sun for more forced changes. This year as well from late May onwards the tr Neptune square the Pakistan Uranus will create a highly-strung, edgy and perhaps fanatical mood – also extending through till late 2023.
The Pakistan Jupiter in Scorpio may produce a few strokes of luck from July onwards but on the whole the road ahead looks no more upbeat than any other country for several years. Tr Neptune will square the Gemini Midheaven by 2024 for confusion about what comes next and the tr Saturn Neptune in Aries will square the Mars by 2025 which will bring setbacks, a sense of failure and continuing indecision about direction.
That coincides on Shebaz Sharif’s personal chart, 23 September 1951 12.30pm Lahore, with tr Neptune opposition his Virgo Sun in 2024. So he won’t be able to overcome whatever pressures are facing the country, exacerbated no doubt by the Ukraine invasion and food shortages to follow. He looks upbeat enough in 2022/23 with a few disappointments and losses sprinkled around this year and a few calamities in 2023. But it is 2024/25 and beyond which look out of his control. He has three planets in Virgo with a ruthless Mars Pluto in Leo and a reforming (and destabilizing) Uranus on the focal point of a T Square to Neptune opposition Jupiter.
The Bank of Pakistan chart also, 1 July 1948, hints at ructions this year and next, and increasing anxiety and disappointment in 2023 through 2024.
Sharif’s Term chart, 11 April 2022 9.12pm, Islamabad, isn’t too illuminating though an accident-prone, impatient Mars Saturn in the 3rd and a controlling Sun square Pluto in the 3rd might point to transport and communication problems looming large.
Marjorie, Excuse me. Shahbaz Sharif’s (prime minister of Pakistan) date of birth is wrong. He was born on September 23, 1951.12.30 pm in Lahore. Please correct dob.