TOKYO -- At first glance, Pakistan's recent general election seemed like a tempest in a teapot, but a closer look reveals signs of a political hurricane that could rock the nuclear-armed nation of 240 million people, the world's fifth largest.
Following February's vote for the 336-seat National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif was reappointed prime minister on March 3. The country's power structure seems to have changed little from before the dissolution of the lower house in August: It is still led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), with the military's strong backing. Still, the ballot results were a big surprise.
