Results of the Pakistani Elections: Why do young people still back Imran Khan's PTI?

Results of the Pakistani Elections: Why do young people still back Imran Khan's PTI?

In the Pakistani elections, independents supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the political party of former prime minister Imran Khan, are in the lead. According to analysts, the youthful PTI voters may be inspired to cast ballots by the former cricket hero's many statements, resentment over the nation's soaring inflation rate, and the military's presence in politics.

February 9, 2024, a day after Pakistan's general elections, people carry a banner with the image of former prime minister Imran Khan outside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party headquarters. Reuters

The election results in Pakistan are stunning. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, has supported independent candidates, who have won the most seats overall in the general elections.

These independent candidates have taken 92 of the 253 seats available in the National Assembly, according to a Dawn report. There is still a wait for the results of 14 seats. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has gained 54 seats, while Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) holds second position with 71 seats. There are 133 seats in the majority.

Pakistan held elections on February 8th to choose representatives for 265 seats in the National Assembly, the country's lower house of parliament, and four provincial legislatures.

These statistics demonstrate how well-liked Imran Khan is among voters, particularly young ones. He is still in the lead despite a number of obstacles, such as preventing PTI leaders from using the cricket bat, the party's emblem, and forcing them to run as independent candidates.

Why did young Pakistanis choose to choose loyalists sponsored by Imran Khan? Let's comprehend.

The popularity of Imran Khan in Pakistan

The former cricket hero of Pakistan was elected in 2018 on the platform of a "naya [new] Pakistan". Khan pledged to end corruption, establish Pakistan as a major economic force, and bring in a period of sound administration.

He won over the middle class Pakistanis with his promises. The people of Pakistan, who are sick and tired of the established governing class, have responded favorably to Khan's positions on terrorism, corruption, and nepotism in the country. A PTI employee in Islamabad told DW in 2018 that "he has no foreign assets and no corruption charges against him."

Khan narrowly prevailed in the 2018 general election. Pakistan's strong military establishment, which has always had a say in the nation's politics, was credited with his triumph.

As Pakistan entered an economic crisis and accusations of dysfunction surfaced, Khan's popularity started to plummet throughout his term and reached an all-time low by April 2022, according to The Guardian.

On February 9, 2024, a fan in Islamabad, Pakistan, passes a poster of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at his party headquarters. AP

But it was his ouster from office in 2022 due to a no-confidence motion in the legislature that gave him newfound popularity. Khan's fans sympathized with him when he claimed that his downfall was the result of a plot supported by the US. America had refuted this assertion.

His base of populist supporters was also drawn in by his orthodox Islamic speech.

Rare scenes were seen in Pakistani streets in May 2023 as PTI supporters battled with police after Khan's abrupt detention. Even when he was imprisoned in August of last year and found guilty in a number of corruption and criminal charges, his popularity persisted. Khan faced years-long banishment from politics as a result of these accusations.

Why do younger people back Imran Khan?

Of Pakistan's 241.49 million inhabitants, 125 million are youthful voters, and Khan continues to have considerable support from this demographic. As to The Guardian, their percentage among the nation's registered voters is 44.36 percent.

Through social media, his PTI party has effectively reached out to these young people and grown its base of support. For the younger generation, Khan represents a "new Pakistan" and a departure from the long-standing traditional families that dominated the nation. According to the British daily, the PTI leader has garnered popularity due to his strong stance against the Pakistani army.

In May of last year, Malik Farooq, a 20-year-old Lahore software engineer, told The Guardian that he agreed with Khan's "vision" for Pakistan. "Khan has no political dynasty ancestry and has no desire to establish one. To protect us from these dishonest families, he entered politics.

In a Lahore market on February 9, 2024, a man passes by a banner featuring the image of imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. AFP

The candidates that Khan's party is endorsing in the general elections demonstrate the fervor of his fans. Supporters of the imprisoned PTI leader are expected to vote, according to Reuters, because of popular perceptions of the military's participation in politics, resentment over Khan's several prison terms, and dissatisfaction over months of growing inflation.

PTI volunteer Naila Khan Marwat, 26, told Reuters that he voted for Khan's party for the first time in 2018 because he thought the former cricket player was "true" to Pakistan. He said that several of his colleagues were inspired by Khan's comments.

"Have you not seen other outstanding leaders? similar to Nelson Mandela? "There are a lot of great leaders who are suffering a lot in jail," he said. "But things change."

Allegations of election manipulation against the PTI were also sparked by the crackdown on the party before to the polls and the cancellation of cellphone service on election day. Even though Khan's PTI-backed contender has a lot of seats stacked against him, he is still in the lead.

"PTI will undoubtedly remain in place. Though it has been reduced in size and hollowed out, Michael Kugelman, the head of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute, told Reuters that "its support base remains large and loyal." "Khan is still a formidable force, even in his prison cell."