Pakistan 2024 Elections: PTI and the Military Power Struggle

Islamabad –

The general perception in Pakistan regarding the February 8, 2024 elections is that the results have already been decided behind the scenes. The powerful military group, according to many Pakistanis who spoke to DW, will be determined to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party from power at all costs.

|I don’t plan to cast my vote. I support Imran Khan, and he has no right to contest elections. That’s why I’m not interested in this election,” said Aliya Durrani, an Islamabad resident.

Imran Khan, perhaps Pakistan’s most popular politician, was banned from running for election after he was sentenced to years in prison in various cases involving corruption and leaking state secrets.

Various opinion polls show that the PTI is ahead of its main rivals, namely the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) led by veteran politician Nawaz Sharif, who served three times as PM, and the Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. died in a murder attack in 2007.

Harris Khalique, Secretary General of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, said the PTI was “undoubtedly a major and popular party” in Pakistan.

“If the elections are held freely and fairly, the PTI will win the most seats in parliament from the big cities. But I don’t see them sweeping the election victory. So, this hype on social media about Khan’s popularity is a little exaggerated,” he said.

Imran Khan and the military fortress, from friends to enemies?

In 2018, Imran Khan’s opponents accused the military of paving the way for Imran Khan to become PM. However, when a no-confidence motion was held in April 2022 and resulted in Imran Khan being ousted by the government, he blamed the military for masterminding the no-confidence motion.

After a year-long confrontation with the military, Imran Khan’s supporters took to the streets across the country to protest his arrest. In some places, protests turned violent. Some rioters began attacking military facilities and rampaging through army residential areas.

Several months after the riots, authorities began trying suspected protesters, including PTI members, in military courts. A group of senior and middle-ranking PTI officials suddenly announced their resignation and expressed their support for the military.

In the last few weeks, reports have emerged of PTI candidates being prevented from submitting their nomination papers. Additionally, Pakistan’s Supreme Court banned the party from using its iconic symbol, the cricket bat. Imran Khan was a famous cricket star during his active time as an athlete.

Imran Khan’s supporters and some analysts have alleged fraud before the elections.

“Elections must be held in a free, fair and transparent manner. Whoever is elected must take decisions that have a positive impact on people’s livelihoods,” said Secretary General of the Pakistan National Human Rights Commission Harris Khalique.

Noreen Shams, a journalist based in Karachi, said Pakistan’s entire history is full of military-“engineered” elections.

“What is happening now has also happened in previous elections. Those who were the favorites of the authorities are now the criminals; those who were the criminals in 2018 (former PM Sharif) are now the favorites,” he told DW.

“Pakistan has always had a mixed form of government, where elected representatives of the people shared power with the military,” he added.

What will happen next?

However, there is more at stake than the election, as Pakistan reels from a serious financial crisis, high inflation, widespread unemployment and environmental disaster. This raises concerns that the general public is focused on fulfilling their own living needs and is therefore not too interested in the election.

Saira Khan, a school teacher in Islamabad, said “it doesn’t matter who is in power”. Whoever comes to power needs to create political stability in the country, and this is not possible without building trust among the people.

“So, the election is important, but I don’t think it will make much difference,” he said.

In the current scenario, former PM Nawaz Sharif and his Muslim League Party are favorites to win the elections.

“Khan and his party have completely exposed their mindset. They will never allow the institutions in Pakistan to function independently. They spent a lot of time in the opposition and government, but have shown a deep hatred for the institutions [keamanan]launched verbal attacks and carried out physical assaults,” Tariq Fazal Choudhry, a Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) official, told DW.

It is still unclear who will rule in Pakistan after this election, but one thing is clear, whichever party will rule must be able to cooperate with the military.

(hp/as)

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2024-02-07 02:23:02
#Military #grip #overshadows #Pakistans #February #elections