Pakistan: Authorities crack down on PTI one week ahead of elections
3 Min Read
Jamal Ahsan Khan, who is the PTI's forerunner after Imran Khan was incarcerated, says he has received death threats.
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Supporters of the Pakistan People's Party attend an election campaign rally, in Bhalwal, Pakistan, Wednesday, January 24, 2024. (AP)
In the lead-up to the upcoming elections on February 8, Pakistan's political landscape is marred by controversy and allegations of an orchestrated crackdown, particularly against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Imran Khan, immensely popular in his constituency and ancestral homeland of Mianwali, is notably absent from the political posters lining the streets. The absence is attributed to what many describe as a crackdown, widely believed to be orchestrated by Pakistan's influential military, effectively excluding Khan and his party from the election campaign.
Jamal Ahsan Khan now stands for PTI in Mianwali instead of Imran Khan, after the latter faces legal challenges and is currently incarcerated due to a graft conviction believed to be politically motivated.
Ahsan Khan highlights the grim reality of the campaign, stating, "Our party [activists] are facing harassment, and I personally have received death threats. Throughout my life, I have never witnessed an election as intense and threatening as this one."
Media heavily censored
The PTI party, facing obstructions across the country, is unable to hold rallies, while media coverage is heavily censored, forcing the party's campaign to rely predominantly on online platforms. The electoral commission has rejected the nomination papers of dozens of candidates nationwide, adding to the growing concerns about the fairness of the electoral process.
Ahsan Khan, like many other PTI candidates, finds himself in near hiding as he navigates the limitations imposed on the campaign. Expressing his frustration, he says, "It feels disheartening that as a candidate of Pakistan's leading political party, I am unable to conduct my campaign in a meaningful way."
Read more: Pakistan court clears Imran Khan of sedition charges
Imran Khan's nomination papers rejected by elections committee
Back in December, Pakistan's election body rejected on Saturday former Prime Minister Imran Khan's nomination to the 2024 national elections in two constituencies, according to Pakistani officials and Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Khan was imprisoned by authorities in August 2023, on several charges, including leaking state secrets and selling state gifts while in office. Corruption convictions meant that the former Prime Minister was disqualified from running for the February 8 elections, however, he still decided to file nomination papers on Friday.
The former cricket star found himself among a list of fellow Lahorians whose nominations were rejected by the Election Commission of Pakistan. The commission said that Khan was not a registered voter of the constituency because he was "convicted by the court of law and has been disqualified."
Khan, who has been detained since August, asserts that the military is collaborating with dynastic parties that have traditionally dominated Pakistan to quash his populist movement and hinder him from running for office.
