This week, we feature the political turmoil and unrest in Pakistan. Also covering the violence in Manipur, Operation Shield and Arrow in the Gaza Strip, Google’s AI counter-offensive, and a commercial energy deal for nuclear fusion

A political crisis is brewing in Pakistan

On 9 May, Imran Khan was arrested by a government anti-corruption agency on charges of corruption during his tenure as PM

His arrest triggered a wave of massive protests across the country by supporters of his party (the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf or PTI), resulting in violent clashes with security forces in Islamabad and many cities

To understand the context behind this, we need to look at a history of politics in Pakistan

In the 2018 general elections, the Imran Khan-led PTI emerged as the largest national party with 149 seats. However, the PTI was 23 seats short of the 172-seat mark required for a majority. Consequently, the PTI formed a coalition goverment with smaller parties and Imran Khan became the PM in Aug-2018

After 4 years of rule, n Apr 2022, the opposition parties led by the Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), successfully conducted a no-confidence motion to remove Imran Khan as PM

Subsequently, Shehbaz Sharif (who is the brother of exiled-PM Nawaz Sharif), succeeded Imran Khan as the Prime minister. And since then, the government has filed numerous cases against Imran Khan, which the PTI rejects as a politically motivated crusade

All of this boiled over last week with the arrest of Imran Khan

Now, an important question is - why is this all relevant to us?

Sometime between Aug - Oct this year, Pakistan is scheduled to hold its general election

Between the massive protests now called by the PTI, and the near-economic collapse in Pakistan, there is a good chance of another military coup in Pakistan

Military coups have been a staple through Pak history, occuring multiple times during political unrest - most recently in 1999, when Musharaff dissolved the Nawaz Sharif government

And a military government in Pak is bad for India - they’re trigger-happy and eschew diplomacy for war!

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Manipur violence settles; but for many, there’s only ashes to return to

The Meitei - Kuki ethnic clashes over the granting of reservations to the majority Meitei community has died down after the Indian Army stepped in and enforced a curfew under Section 144

Thousands of the displaced have seen their houses and possessions burnt, leaving them with no homes and livelihood to return to

Manipur CM, Biren Singh, now faces significant opposition from Kuki MLAs in his own party, with escalating demands for a separate state for the Kukis

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At Google IO 2023, Sundar showed us all how to Pitch-AI

Everything about the IO conference this year was AI, with android 14 being barely mentioned in the conference

Google search is getting AI snapshots, Bard is available to all (and linked to the internet), Photos is getting an AI face-lift, and GenAI will touch every product in the workspace (called Duet AI)

All of this is summarized in this incredible meme video

Microsoft and Helion Energy ink an energy deal for nuclear fusion

Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion company backed by Sam Altman, signed a commercial power deal with Microsoft to supply energy generated through Nuclear fusion by 2028

This is a landmark deal - the first ever commercial agreement in nuclear fusion

Operation Shield and Arrow in Gaza

On 9 May, Israel launched an aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip which continued for 5 days, until a ceasefire was announced on 14 May.

The airstrikes were aimed at killing the leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in response to rockets launched from Gaza into a peripheral neighborhood in Israel

More than 30 people have been killed (including civilians), with 800 more displaced in this latest round of violence

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