LAHORE (Daily Point) — Imran Khan, the former prime minister, has penned an opinion piece for The Economist, addressing the upcoming February 8 general elections and the economic situation in the country.
In the article published on January 4, Khan claimed that he and his party, PTI, have faced targeted attacks since a no-confidence vote in April 2022, asserting that the establishment, comprising the army, security agencies, and civil bureaucracy, is not providing a fair playing field for PTI.
Concerns have been raised by human rights watchdogs about the lack of a level playing field for certain political parties in the lead-up to the scheduled elections. The transitional government, led by interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, has faced criticism, particularly regarding the environment for the PML-N in Punjab, though the caretaker setup denies such impressions.
Recently, the Lahore High Court dismissed PTI’s petition against the nullification of its intra-party elections and the removal of its electoral symbol, the bat. Imran Khan, in his piece, accused the country’s top electoral authority of biased actions and noted skepticism among the people regarding the likelihood of the national vote taking place.
Khan highlighted contempt cases against him and other PTI leaders for criticizing the Election Commission of Pakistan, referring to the May 9 events as a “false-flag operation” where PTI was blamed for arson at military installations. Despite these challenges, Khan insisted on PTI’s popularity and accused the ECP of attempting to prevent the party from contesting elections, claiming that the courts are losing credibility.
The article also touched on various charges against Khan, including treason, denial of permission for PTI to hold worker conventions, the cipher controversy, and his ouster from office in 2021 via a no-confidence motion. The editor’s note mentioned that both the government and the US State Department have denied Khan’s allegations of American interference in Pakistani politics, and the government is prosecuting him under the Official Secrets Act.
Imran Khan concluded by expressing concern that even if elections were held, the denial of PTI’s basic right to campaign would lead to a disastrous and farcical outcome, exacerbating political instability and further impacting the volatile economy. He called for fair elections, stating that democracy is under siege, and the country is moving in the opposite direction on various fronts.
