Panama leaks jeopardise Sharif's future in Pakistan

Significance

These plans have intensified pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been implicated, together with his family, in the Panama papers. In parallel, the military has started its own accountability drive, embarrassing the Sharif family and putting the very longevity of Sharif's administration in doubt.

Impacts

• The military may soon get the go-ahead for a counter-insurgency campaign in south Punjab.
• In the immediate term, such an operation would upset local politics and trigger reprisal terrorist attacks.
• Succession battles within the PML-N could intensify.