Pakistan election results: Why young voters continue to support Imran Khan’s PTI

Pakistan election results have sprung a surprise. Independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have won the most seats overall in the general elections.

According to a Dawn report, these Independent contenders have bagged 92 of the 253 counted National Assembly seats. The results of 14 seats are still pending. Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stands second with 71 seats, while Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has won 54 seats. The majority mark is 133 seats.

Pakistan went to polls on 8 February to elect members for 265 seats in the National Assembly, Pakistan’s lower house of Parliament, and four provincial assemblies.

These results are a testament to Imran Khan’s popularity among the voters, especially the youth. Despite facing multiple challenges, including the PTI leaders being barred from using the party symbol — a cricket bat – and thus having to run as independents, they are leading the race.

Why did young Pakistanis vote for Imran Khan-backed loyalists? Let’s understand.

Imran Khan’s popularity in Pakistan

Pakistan’s former cricket hero came to power in 2018 with the promise of a “naya [new] Pakistan”. Khan vowed to weed out corruption, make Pakistan an economic power and usher in an era of good governance.

His promises appealed to the Pakistani middle class. “Khan’s stance on corruption, terrorism and nepotism in Pakistani politics has struck a chord with the masses, which are fed up with the traditional ruling elite. He has no corruption charges on him, no foreign assets,” a PTI activist in Islamabad told DW in 2018.

Khan won the 2018 general elections although by a slim majority. His victory was attributed to Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which has for long played an influential role in the country’s politics.

Khan’s popularity started to wane during his tenure as Pakistan plunged into an economic crisis and allegations of dysfunction cropped up, reaching historical lows by April 2022, as per The Guardian report.

However, it was his ouster from power through a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022 that renewed his popularity. Khan blamed a US-backed conspiracy for his removal which evoked sympathy among his supporters. The claim was denied by the US.

His conservative Islamic rhetoric also lured his populist support base.

In May 2023, rare scenes were witnessed on the streets across Pakistan when PTI supporters clashed with the police against Khan’s brief arrest. His popularity survived even after he was jailed last August and convicted in several corruption and criminal cases since then. Khan has been barred from politics for years over these charges.

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Why young voters back Imran Khan

Khan’s popularity has sustained among young voters, who comprise 125 million of the total 241.49 million population of Pakistan. They also account for 44.36 per cent of the country’s registered voters, as per The Guardian.

His PTI party has adeptly utilised social media to connect with these youngsters and strengthen its support base. Youth see Khan as the face of “naya Pakistan” and a break from the old dynasties that have ruled the country for decades. The PTI leader’s tirade against the Pakistani military has gained him popular support, the British newspaper noted.

Malik Farooq, a software engineer in his late 20s from Lahore, told The Guardian last May that he backed Khan for his “vision” for Pakistan. “Khan does not come from a political dynasty and he does not want to build any dynasty. He is in politics to save us from these corrupt families.”

The galvanisation of Khan’s supporters is visible from his party-backed candidates’ edge in the general polls. As per Reuters, analysts believe that public view of the military’s involvement in politics, anger at Khan’s multiple prison sentences and frustration at monthslong soaring inflation could have driven the jailed PTI leader’s supporters to the ballots.

Speaking to Reuters, Naila Khan Marwat, a 26-year-old PTI volunteer, said she gave her first vote to Khan’s party in 2018 as she saw the former cricketer as being “true” to Pakistan. She said Khan’s sentences galvanised her and several of her peers.

“Haven’t you seen the other great leaders? Like Nelson Mandela? …There are so many great leaders who have been in prison and they are suffering a lot,” she said. “But things change.”

The crackdown on PTI ahead of polls and the suspension of mobile services on election day also triggered allegations of rigging by the party. Khan’s PTI-backed candidates still forged ahead despite the decks stacked against them.

“PTI is definitely here to stay. It may have been hollowed out and cut down to size, but … its support base remains large and loyal,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, told Reuters. “Khan remains a force to be reckoned with, even from his jail cell.”

With inputs from agencies