Despite imprisonment, crackdown, Imran Khan declares election win
5 Min Read
The number of seats won by Independents by Saturday morning has increased to at least 99 seats, 88 of whom are loyal to Khan, the highest so far compared to other parties.
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A supporter works on his desk next to a poster of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan displayed at his party office, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 (AP)
Today, an AI-generated video showing former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has him announcing victory in this year's elections.
On his X account, a video of Imran Khan from a year ago with AI-generated voice and speech stated, "According to independent sources, we were winning 150 national assembly seats before the rigging started."
"I congratulate you all on winning the 2024 elections. I strongly believed in you all, that you would go out to vote," the video emphasized.
Chairman Imran Khan's victory speech (AI version) after an unprecedented fightback from the nation that resulted in PTI’s landslide victory in General Elections 2024. pic.twitter.com/Z6GiLwCVCR
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 9, 2024
As of Saturday morning, the number of seats won by Independents has increased to at least 99 seats, 88 of whom are loyal to Khan, while the Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party has won 71 seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 53, and minor parties won the remaining seats with 15 out of 266 elected-seats yet to be announced by the National Assembly.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a minor party, won 17 out of 27 seats won by all minor parties.
If PTI's independents join forces with one of those minor parties, they can have a portion of the further 70 unelected seats reserved for women and religious minorities, which are determined based on the party's performance in the contested vote.
Most of the seats won by Khan supporters were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where at least two PTI supporters were killed Friday and more than 20 were wounded when they protested against what they called vote maneuvering in Shangla district, according to what police revealed.
Protests also took place in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Quetta in Balochistan province. One of the protesters joining 2,000 PTI supporters in Peshawar, Muhammad Saleem, stated, "Our results have been changed," stressing, "The government should recount all of our votes."
What's up with the AI?
Khan's party introduced new election campaigning in Pakistan with its social media "rallies" and use of artificial intelligence technology.
Khan's party was banned from any in-person rallies and TV channels were prohibited from mentioning his name or showing video clips of him, which prompted the PTI media team to head toward an online approach like initiating YouTube and TikTok rallies with the authorities still regularly blocking internet access to stop them.
However, this method appeared fruitful as it helped independent candidates loyal to PTI to gain youth votes.
Behind the Scenes
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party, PML-N, was expected to win most seats as analysts stated that its 74-year-old founder was backed by the military-led establishment, on the one hand, and because Khan was banned from contesting the elections due to his multiple prison sentences, on the other.
Yesterday, the government stated that before the elections on Thursday, it stopped mobile phone services as a "security measure" and then partially initiated them, leading to an unusually slow count of votes.
The executive director of polling group Gallup Pakistan, Bilal Gilani, said to AFP, "PTI as a party and political group, despite significant efforts by the civilian and military establishment, has held on to its vote bank," concluding that this shows "that the military does not always get their way -- that is the silver lining."
The PPP, mainly popular in the Sindh heartland, also did better than predicted. In April 2022, the PML-N and PPP allied minor parties to overthrow Khan from office after he won with a high majority in 2018.
This prompted Khan to initiate his campaign against the military-led establishment.
The elections have spiked mixed feelings
The UK said it has "serious concerns" regarding the election, while the United States declared that "claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated."
Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz backed the "difficult decision" to suspend mobile phone services on security grounds, stating yesterday, "We were fully aware that suspension of mobile services would impact the transmission of election results across Pakistan and delay the process, however, the choice between this delay and safety of our citizens was quite straightforward."
Digital rights activist Usama Khilji stated the mobile service blackout "strengthens the popular perception that the elections are rigged by the deep state."
Mohammad Zubair, a 19-year-old street hawker in Lahore, announced that PTI supporters would not accept a PML-N victory. "Everyone knows how many seats Khan's independent candidates have won," he said, adding, "They don't have a symbol, or a captain, or a flag, or banners, but still we have won on the field."
