Briefly, in Pakistan, voters glimpsed an alternate universe. Then the army stepped in

News Snapshot:

Written by Ajay Bisaria In the aftermath of the brazenly rigged elections of February 8, Pakistan has unveiled a new parliament, government and cabinet of ministers, in a spectacle carefully choreographed by its military establishment. The latest coalition government is headed by Shehbaz Sharif, the pliant politician who did the army’s bidding in the 16-month Pakistan Democratic Movement government that replaced the government led by Imran Khan but was disbanded for the elections. The astute Asif Ali Zardari is back for a second term as president. Maryam Nawaz is taking her first stab at governance as Chief Minister of Punjab....