Imran Khan, absent and present in Pakistan's general elections (Al Jazeera + agencies)
On the eighth of this month, general legislative elections will be held in Pakistan to elect members of the National Assembly (Parliament) and members of the country’s four regional parliaments.
The vote in the Muslim country, which has a population of about 250 million people, comes amid a campaign of repression against the leader of the PTI party and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and in light of security threats in some remote areas.
About 150 parties, along with dozens of independents, are competing in the elections to fill seats in the federal parliament and the four regional parliaments.
Below, we will present the most prominent parties in the country, some of which were in power, the parties that have great regional or local influence, and other smaller parties that represent an ideology, ethnicity, or region, and the various challenges in Pakistan.
A poster with a picture of Imran Khan (top) and the inscription “Revenge oppression by voting” hanging on a tree in Islamabad (French)
Tehreek-e-Insaf party
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, founded by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, leans center-right, and the party is currently led by Gohar Ali Khan.
Imran Khan (71 years old) came to power by winning the 2018 elections. But within years, the military establishment, which appeared to have supported him in that vote, turned against him after Imran Khan was removed from office through a vote of no confidence in him in Parliament, the first of Its kind in the history of Pakistan.
Khan accuses the United States of conspiring with the Pakistani army and his political opponents to overthrow him. After his removal from office, the party's supporters and its leader held massive demonstrations that toured all Pakistani provinces to demand early elections.
As the demonstrations continued and clashes occurred between protesters and government forces, causing some deaths and injuries, arrests, and the destruction of some property, the authorities arrested Imran Khan in May 2023 on charges of corruption. His supporters launched widespread protests and targeted civilian and military installations.
The state of widespread unrest and clashes prompted the deep state to intervene, hundreds of party leaders were forced to leave it, and thousands of its activists were arrested.
Khan, against whom more than 150 cases were filed, was convicted of corruption and divulging state secrets.
He was recently sentenced to 3 court rulings, the last of which included him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 7 years in prison and a fine after it ruled that their marriage, which took place in 2018, was invalid and in violation of the law. Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of leaking state secrets, and 14 years with his wife on charges of illegally selling gifts to the state.
Khan was seeking to run for elections, but the judiciary rejected his candidacy and most of his supporters for the upcoming legislative elections, and the ruling to imprison him and deprive him of the elections would provide relief to his political rivals.
The PTI has been stripped of its electoral symbol, the cricket bat, and its candidates are now forced to run as independents.
Despite the obvious obstacles in its path, the PTI enjoys broad popular support across the country, which may work to its advantage.
Seats won in 2013: 28.
Seats won in 2018: 116.
Nawaz Sharif waves to his supporters during an election rally in Lahore at the end of last month (French)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Party
The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz wing, is classified as centrist, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who previously came to power 3 times, most recently in 2013, with a clear majority.
Sharif (74 years old) was ousted from office in 2017, due to corruption charges. He and his daughter, Maryam, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018, days before the national elections held in the same year.
Among the party's prominent leaders is Shehbaz Sharif (72 years old), Nawaz's younger brother and former Prime Minister of the Punjab government (the Punjab region is the party's main stronghold). He assumed the position of Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2022 after the overthrow of Imran Khan, as the Muslim League was part of an alliance known as The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) succeeded in a vote of no confidence in Khan, 2018.
The 16 months that Shehbaz spent as Prime Minister witnessed a difficult economic situation as the inflation rate increased significantly and the country witnessed protests led by the PTI party.
Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan in October after 4 years of self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. Within weeks, the courts dropped corruption charges against him, leading observers to believe that he had been chosen by the military to be the country's next prime minister.
The biggest challenge facing the Sharif family will be to regain their support base from Imran Khan, who remains a popular force, despite being in prison for several sentences, especially among young people, specifically those who live in cities and enjoy a strong presence on social media sites.
The Pakistan Muslim League is still the favorite before the elections. While the elder Sharif is the party's supreme leader, it is unclear which of the brothers might lead Parliament if the PML-N wins enough seats.
Seats won in 2013: 126.
Seats won in 2018: 64.
Bilawal addresses his supporters at an election rally in Shikarpur, Sindh province two days ago (French)
People's Party
The center-left Pakistan People's Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father Asif Ali Zardari (the country's former president), is seeking to return to power for the first time since 2008. The
party was founded by his maternal grandfather and former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and then led by his mother, President Twice Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The Bhutto dynasty scion will contest his second election. He was Foreign Minister under the government that followed Imran Khan's government in 2022.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (35 years old) stands out as a young leader competing with party leaders whose average age is in the seventh decade, most of whom have political experience exceeding 20 years. He faces challenges, including criticism of his party's rule of Sindh province during the past 4 terms, especially after the catastrophic floods in 2022, which destroyed a large part of the province.
His manifesto and campaign focus on connecting with the country's youth, and he has ambitious plans to combat climate change.
If he becomes prime minister (a low possibility), he will follow in the footsteps of his mother, who assumed the country's first executive position in 1988 at the same age.
Seats won in 2013: 34.
Seats won in 2018: 43.
Awami National Party (ANP)
The Awami National Party, an ethnic Pashtun nationalist party based mainly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is seeking to succeed the PTI in the provincial government there.
The centre-left party, led by Asfandyar Wali Khan, takes secular positions on politics, but faces allegations of corruption and has been out of power for nearly two decades.
The party was part of the 11-party alliance that ousted Imran Khan.
Seats won in 2013: 2.
The seats he won in 2018: 1.
United National Movement
The MQM has been the largest political force in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, Pakistan's largest city and economic backbone, for nearly 3 decades.
In the past, the MQM formed alliances with the parties leading the country at the national level.
It had allied itself with the PTI after the 2018 elections but switched its loyalties to the PDM alliance after the April 2022 overthrow of Imran Khan.
The MQM split in August 2016 into a London faction and a Pakistani faction after a fiery speech by its exiled leader, Altaf Hussain.
However, when the opportunity to join the PDM coalition arose, the divided factions and MQM branches were united.
Previous paramilitary operations targeting the party and its alleged ties to gangs in Karachi have shattered its popularity in Sindh.
Most of its support is concentrated in Karachi and neighboring cities, which have large populations who fled there after the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.
The MQM-P will compete against independents from the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and independent candidates. Young people to try to regain their base.
Seats won in 2013: 18.
Seats won in 2018: 6.
Sirajul Haq during his participation in previous protests against high prices and unemployment in Rawalpindi near Islamabad (Anatolia)
Islamic group
The Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Sirajul Haq, is a conservative Islamist party.
It is one of the oldest political parties in Pakistan and is known for its strong party organization, but it failed to achieve good results in the polls.
It has been out of power for decades, with its last successful election in 2002 under President Pervez Musharraf.
The Islamic Group is targeting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in addition to focusing on Karachi with its relatively young leader, Hafiz Naeem.
After performing well in the recent local elections in Karachi, the party is trying to promote a more moderate, development-focused agenda that it hopes will attract voters.
Seats won in 2013: 2.
Seats won in 2018: 12 (in an alliance of religious parties).
Fazlur Rahman among his supporters in previous protests in Islamabad (Reuters)
Association of Islamic Scholars (JUI-F)
In the upcoming elections, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, led by Fazlur Rehman, aims to regain lost ground, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which it lost to the PTI.
The association leader was the head of the People's Democratic Movement Alliance and was looking to use his vast network of seminaries to help him win votes.
With extensive political experience and extensive relationships in Pakistan, Fazlur Rahman is considered a skilled political player and can form alliances to form the new government.
Seats won in 2013: 11.
Seats won in 2018: 12 (in an alliance of religious parties).
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP)
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party is a Pashtun nationalist group, mainly active in Balochistan province, where it was part of the ruling coalition in the last provincial government.
The party, led by Mahmoud Khan Achakzai, is classified as a center-left party in the poorest province of Pakistan, which also includes the smallest number of seats in the National Assembly (16).
The party seeks to achieve greater regional autonomy and enhance the powers of the Senate, where all provinces enjoy equal representation.
Seats won in 2013: 3.
Seats won in 2018: 0.
Kakir, one of the founders of the Balochistan Awami Party (Reuters)
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP)
The Balochistan Awami Party was founded in 2018 and current interim Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar was one of its founders.
From its inception, the party was seen as a group of disparate politicians belonging to different tribes in Balochistan, toeing the line of Pakistan's powerful military establishment. In the 2018 elections, the party formed an alliance with the PTI.
The party will contest at least 10 seats in the National Assembly, all from Balochistan, and is expected to be a power broker if the major parties need partners to form a coalition government.
Seats won in 2013: 0.
Seats won in 2018: 4.
Pakistan Independence Party (IPP)
The Pakistan Istiqlal Party was founded last June by Jehangir Tareen, one of Pakistan's richest businessmen and a confidant and financier of Imran Khan in the past.
The party's creation came just a month after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced a government crackdown in the wake of the May 9 unrest.
Soon, a significant number of PTI leaders announced their resignations from the party and announced their joining the Pakistani Independence Party.
The party is seen as consisting of a large number of candidates who have strong personal influence in their home regions. He hopes to win enough seats in the elections to play a role in forming the next government.
Seats won in 2018: 0.
Seats won in 2013: 0.
Independents
While the remaining candidates in the PTI must run as independents due to the party's legal problems, these elections will witness a large number of independents.
In addition to these, there are young independent candidates who do not have major political affiliations.
Historically, independent candidates often end up joining the party with the largest number of seats in parliament.
Seats won in 2018: 13.
Source: Al Jazeera