THE RESULTS OF the parliamentary polls came as a surprise to many people as former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats, despite the party losing its iconic election symbol ‘cricket bat’ and its candidates contesting as ‘independents’. While the PTI-backed independents won 92 of 265 seats to which direct elections were held, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 79 and 54 seats, respectively. Imran has ruled out any alliance with the major parties and has directed his supporters to join hands with the Majlis-e-Wahdat-Muslimeen (MWM) to try and form governments at the centre and in Punjab. He has also indicated an alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PTI said that its mandate was stolen after the PML-N and the PPP announced a plan to form a coalition government under former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto announced on February 13 that his party would support the PML-N candidate for prime minister, but would not join the cabinet. The PPP, however, is eyeing several constitutional positions like the president, the speaker of the National Assembly and the chairman of the senate (upper house).
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, said the results showed that Imran and the PTI were more popular among the masses than their competitors. “This is despite the fact that Imran is in prison and has been convicted in a few cases,” he said. “Several top PTI leaders are either imprisoned or underground. Even if the PTI is unable to come to power at the national level, Imran holds the key to the current political crisis in the country.”
This story is from the February 25, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 25, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
