FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: The problems facing Pakistan and its leadership

Political tensions are rising in Pakistan following the the Supreme Court’s decision to charge Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani with contempt for failing to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The government has also been under pressure as a result of what’s become known as “memogate” after an unsigned memo emerged asking for US help to avert a coup by the Pakistani army.

With the outlook for the Pakistani government so uncertain, there is concern that the country’s many and complex problems, including its dire economic situation, dealings with its domestic Taliban, drone attacks, as well as the aftermath of floods and other natural catastrophes will be overlooked.

We will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the deepening political crisis in Pakistan and what lies ahead.

Chaired by the BBC’s Owen Bennett-Jones, he was BBC Pakistan correspondent between 1998 and 2001 and is author of Pakistan: Eye Of The Storm.

With:

Omar Waraich, he has been covering Pakistan for TIME Magazine and The Independent since 2007. He regularly appears as a commentator on Al-Jazeera English, CNN and NPR. Twitter: @OmarWaraich

Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan Director, Asia Division at Human Rights Watch. Previously he was a senior editor at Pakistan’s premier independent, political news monthly magazine, Herald.

Professor Anatol Lieven, of King’s College London, he has travelled extensively for research in Pakistan and is author of Pakistan: A Hard Country.

Dr Farzana Shaikh, is an associate fellow and convenor of the Pakistan study group at Chatham House. Born and brought up in Pakistan, she has written widely on the country’s history, culture and politics. She has most recently published, Making Sense of Pakistan.