It is election day in Pakistan. As the country gears up for the 2024 elections, former prime minister Imran Khan, currently in jail, has cast his vote via postal ballot according to media reports. Disqualified from contesting, his party’s symbol of ‘bat’ removed too, Khan has urged supporters to go and vote, still hoping for a googly.
“Let the world know that this is the level to which the illegitimate, fascist regime has stooped to! Petrified of the massive turnout tomorrow for General Elections, the controlled media is being used to run a fake news about PTI boycotting elections, along with running a fake audio! The illegitimate regime has used every ounce of fascism, propaganda & unprecedented pre-poll rigging against Pakistan’s largest, most popular & only federal party PTI, led by illegally incarcerated Imran Khan. Yet, the resolve of the nation proved stronger than the oppression! The will of the people will reign supreme!,’’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf official handle posted on X.
But it won’t be easy. Project Imran has failed and the decks have been cleared for the lion of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif. It is clear that the military supports Sharif, who has had his life ban revoked. And in some ways, the election is a remake of 2018. The plot remains the same—it is just that Sharif was in the dock then and Khan is now. Imran Khan was the blue-eyed boy, and was picked to be the new prime minister. Yet, in a Gallup opinion poll conducted in December revealed his approval ratings stand at 57 per cent versus Sharif at 52 per cent.
The question is whether Khan can overturn the might of the military? His falling out with the fauj has certainly changed the rules of the civilian government-military relations. Especially, after his supporters went on a rampage to torch a building in Rawalpindi, the army headquarters. The new chief of staff Asif Munir will certainly want to ensure that the next government colours within the lines.
There is a lot at stake for Pakistan. An economic crisis looms; this will be the biggest challenge for the new government. Inflation stood at 28 per cent in January according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. (It was slightly less than December at 29.99 per cent). The country will need to pay out 77.5 billion dollars as debt repayment in the next three years. Both the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have promised to boost the economy—PPP has promised to provide free electricity to poor families up to 300 kilowatts and PMLN to boost exports to 60 billion dollars—but it will be an uphill climb.
But the poll is on amid tight security. The Interior Ministry has temporarily suspended mobile services across the country, according to media reports, due to the “deteriorating security situation”. On Wednesday back-to-back blasts in Balochistan on the eve of polling killed 28 people.
