Anwaarul Haq Kakar, a senator from Balochistan, was appointed as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 14, 2023. He was selected after consensus between the outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz to lead the country through the interim period until the next elected government took charge.

President Arif Alvi dissolved the 15th National Assembly on August 9, 2023, just three days before the completion of its five-year constitutional term. This strategic early dissolution was intended to allow the Election Commission 90 days (rather than 60) to conduct general elections, paving the way for a caretaker setup.

After months of negotiations and the expiration of the previous Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the PDM government signed a $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF in late June 2023. This short-term bridge loan was critical in preventing a sovereign default and stabilizing the country's foreign exchange reserves before the upcoming elections.

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was established in June 2023 as a 'one-window' platform to facilitate foreign investment, particularly from Gulf countries. It is a civil-military collaborative body designed to streamline projects in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, IT, and energy, aimed at stabilizing the economy without bureaucratic hurdles.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was sworn in as the youngest Foreign Minister of Pakistan on April 27, 2022. His tenure focused on restoring diplomatic ties with major powers, particularly the United States and the European Union, and advocating for climate justice following the 2022 floods.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), served as the President of the PDM alliance. The alliance was a multi-party coalition that included the PML-N, PPP (initially), ANP, and other smaller parties, though the core leadership during the 2022-2023 governance period remained centered around the PML-N and the PDM head.

In a historic late-night session that concluded in the early hours of April 10, 2022, the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan received 174 votes in the 342-seat National Assembly. This was the first time in Pakistan's history that a Prime Minister was removed from office through a vote of no-confidence, leading to the formation of the PDM-led government.

Following the success of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the Prime Minister by the National Assembly and took his oath of office on April 11, 2022. This marked the beginning of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government, which aimed to complete the remaining term of the 15th National Assembly.

Transient poverty refers to households that are normally above the poverty line but fall below it due to a sudden 'shock', such as a crop failure, a medical emergency, or a natural disaster like the 2022 floods. Social safety nets are designed to catch these households before they fall into 'chronic' (long-term) poverty.

A 'Doab' (Persian for 'Two Waters') refers to the tract of land lying between two converging rivers. Major doabs in Pakistan include the Rechna Doab (between Chenab and Ravi) and the Jech Doab (between Jhelum and Chenab).