Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, is making a high-stakes attempt to force the federal government to hold early elections by threatening to dissolve two provincial assemblies.
His party will dissolve legislatures in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 23, roughly one year before elections are scheduled.
According to M-A D-I H-A A-F Z-A L, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institute think tank and the author of Pakistan Under Siege: "For all the intense politicking and instability in Pakistan's politics over the years, nothing like this has happened before in Pakistan", Society, extremism, and the state
The move by Mr Khan carries the risk of further escalating political unrest in Pakistan, which is already experiencing a financial crisis, at a time when some claim the country cannot afford it.
It comes at the end of a turbulent year for the cricket hero-turned-politician, who was forced out of office as prime minister in April and injured in a shooting in November.
In spite of the fact that Imran Khan is presently not in office, the reality his T-E H R-I K-E I-N S-A F (PTI) party is in charge of two of Pakistan's four territories implies he actually makes some things happen.
However, the success of his most recent method of pressure is far from certain.
Mr Khan has demanded that the people have their say ever since he became Pakistan's first PM to lose a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
He has staged a number of well-known rallies in an effort to persuade the coalition government that took his place to call early elections, a request that it has repeatedly stated that it will not honor.
A vote must be held within 90 days of the dissolution, according to Pakistan's constitution. It's not clear what will actually happen.
M-A D-I H-A A-F Z-A L is of the opinion that the courts will probably be involved in some way.
The PDM have stated that they will hold provincial assembly elections rather than general elections if Khan's move on Friday is successful—which is a big if at this point. Therefore, even if Khan's move is successful, it is unlikely to prompt early general elections, which is his objective.
A founding member of Mr Khan's PTI party who has since parted ways with him is Akbar S B-A B A-R. He has criticized Mr Khan for his repeated calls for an early election, saying that he is simply power-hungry and making political instability when the country needs the opposite.
He has truly created a situation in Pakistan that is open to change. He is bringing conflict upon society. Politicians should not have to play this role. A nation-builder would not be responsible for this.
Imran Khan dissents, saying he is as yet battling to ultimately benefit the country. According to what he stated to the BBC, he is a democrat, and "democrats always go to the people".
"I've been in politics for 26 years; no party in Pakistan's history has ever received as much support from the public as we do right now".
Yes, Mr Khan, who is 70 years old, is still popular. His party won six of the eight open seats in recent by-elections.
The purpose of Mr Khan's most recent rallies, which they have dubbed "the long march", was to make it clear how popular he is
S O H-A I L W-A R-A I-C H, editor of the Urdu-language newspaper The Daily J-A N G, states, "His governance was not very good; his governance was not exemplary".
God help Pakistan if Imran ever regains power, which I seriously doubt. Mr Khan's friend Sahibzada Jahangir, who was also a founding member of the PTI, has been friends with him for 50 years and continues to be an avid supporter
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