Imran Khan, currently in jail, is facing dozens of legal challenges (File)
Islamabad, Pakistan:
Pakistani cricket legend-turned-world leader Imran Khan is hugely popular in his constituency and ancestral homeland Mianwali, but his face does not appear on political posters on the streets and his colors do not appear on flags.
He and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have been virtually wiped out from the election campaign ahead of the vote, largely due to a sustained crackdown by Pakistan’s powerful military.
“Our party workers are facing harassment, and I have personally received death threats,” says Jamal Ahsan Khan, 61, who stood for PTI in place of its leader in Mianwali.
“I have never seen such an intense and threatening election in my entire life.”
Khan, who is currently in jail and facing dozens of legal challenges, is barred from contesting the February 8 election due to corruption charges – cases he claims are politically motivated.
Across the country, PTI has been prevented from holding rallies and heavily censored media has been restricted in coverage of the opposition, forcing the party’s campaign to move almost entirely online.
Nomination papers of dozens of candidates across the country have also been rejected by the Election Commission.
Like many other party candidates, loyalist Ahsan Khan has been virtually in hiding in the run-up to the election, unable to hold meetings or distribute leaflets.
“It is disappointing that as a candidate of Pakistan’s major political party, I have been unable to run my campaign in a meaningful manner,” he told AFP.
Two weeks before voting, the country of more than 240 million people is lacking the excitement and enthusiasm that an election usually does.
‘He is a hero’
Khan pursued his political career from Mianwali, a largely rural district in the central province of Punjab, and was elected MP three times.
PTI’s national victory in 2018, driven by a promise to end corruption and the family dynasties that have ruled the country for generations, propelled him to become prime minister.
In Mianwali, where he notably built a hospital and a university, the 71-year-old “is not just a political figure, he is a hero”, said Rana Amjad Iqbal, editor-in-chief of local newspaper Nawa-e-Sharar. , or Daily Spark, tells AFP.
“However, the primary and most important reason for his enduring political relevance is his anti-establishment stance,” the journalist underlines.
Khan was believed to have had the support of the army to come to power, but during his leadership he grew bolder and began to push back against the control of powerful generals.
Ultimately, he lost their support and was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022 after dozens of his MPs defected.
His subsequent arrest in May 2023 brought supporters to the streets who protested against military symbols – sparking a wider crackdown against PTI.
Thousands of supporters were arrested and about 100 – half of whom were from Mianwali – are awaiting trial in military courts, while senior party leaders were detained and dozens forced underground before defecting.
Khan “is still popular among the public, but he is unacceptable to the army”, said retired school teacher Ijaz Khan.
set aside
Earlier this month, PTI suffered a significant blow when the Supreme Court banned it from contesting elections with its election symbol: the cricket bat.
In a country where millions of people cannot read or write, symbols are important for voters to identify their preferred party and candidate.
The Election Commission instead ordered Ahsan Khan to use a bottle, a symbol that is viewed with disdain in rural areas because it is associated with alcohol.
Khan’s rival in Mianwali, Obaid Ullah Khan, is indifferent to the punishment given to his rival political party.
“If not now, when would be appropriate?” He said about the action.
Unlike the PTI candidates, Ullah Khan, who is standing for the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), meets villagers openly, whose leaders assure him of the support of the entire community in the hope of future gains.
PML-N is the party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who was jailed ahead of the 2018 elections and later forced into self-exile.
Analysts say that as soon as Khan has fallen, Sharif has risen and returned to his country into the arms of the army.
Despite being sidelined from the election campaign, voters’ passion for Khan has not diminished.
Hanjala Bin Shakeel, a 23-year-old computer science student, will be voting for the first time and is making no secret of her choice.
“I will vote for (Imran Khan) because he is the only person who really cares about this country; the rest give priority to their personal interests.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
