The nuclear-armed state of Pakistan could be on the verge of an Islamic revolution. On Sunday, an angry crowd of protesters prompted police to release opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from house arrest. The triumphant Sharif then set off to lead a protest march to Islamabad, declaring, “This is a prelude to a revolution.” This followed a riot earlier in the day in Lahore, Punjab province’s capital, that turned violent.

By the time it was all over, President Asif Ali Zardari had bowed to Sharif’s main demands, fearing further political unrest.

The seeds of this incident were sown last year when Zardari refused to reinstate a sacked judge whose cause Sharif had been championing. Things came to a head three weeks ago when the Pakistani Supreme Court upheld an earlier high court verdict that banned Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz, from holding parliamentary office. Sharif responded by calling on the whole nation to take to the streets and support his cause.

As a result, an agreement was reached to reinstate the chief justice, as well as other judges, and to reverse constitutional changes made by former President Musharraf. In response to the government’s climb-down, Sharif called off the “long march” protest rally.

In addition to members of his Pakistan Muslim League, many of Sharif’s supporters came from Jamaat-e-Islami, one of Pakistan’s most influential Islamist political parties. This party advocates an Iranian-style religious dictatorship for Pakistan and maintains close ties with the radical Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

It is evident why such a party would support Sharif over Zardari. Back in 1998, when Sharif was prime minister, he proposed legislation designed to transform Pakistan into an Islamic order based on a literal interpretation of the Koran. This legislation, among numerous other proposed reforms, would have given the government the power to enforce prayers five times a day. Even though the legislation ultimately did not pass, it did receive an absolute majority in the lower house of the Pakistani parliament.

Anti-government protests are driving more and more Pakistanis into the Islamists’ arms. Opinion polls show that Sharif is currently Pakistan’s most popular politician, and the fact that he has now forced the government to back down through mobilizing the people shows that his party is gaining ground.

Where could this eventually lead?

Editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the January 2008 Trumpet: “Pakistan also has the nuclear bomb and could be taken over by radical Islam, with plenty of help from Iran. That means it could become a proxy of the Iranian mullahs. This would be the worst possible disaster!”

For more information on the future of Pakistan, read “Pakistani Sympathy Grows for Pro-Taliban Militants” and “Pakistan and the Shah of Iran.”