The current term of the National Assembly is set to expire this week, and an announcement for a caretaker setup is expected soon from the outgoing government. It is widely known that the military establishment of Pakistan holds significant influence over the government, and the caretaker setup is often viewed as a form of pseudo-martial law. Due to Imran Khan's popularity, many experts speculate that the Pakistani Army may want to extend the caretaker government to diminish his popularity before allowing any elections to take place.