Former PM Imran faces popularity test in Punjab by-elections

 Analysts say the polls give the PTI chairman an opportunity to gauge how well his campaign to garner popular support is going.

July 16, 2022


Islamabad:

Former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan faces a popularity test tomorrow (Sunday) in the by-elections to 20 Punjab Assembly seats, which will decide the fate of the provincial government led by Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz.

Sunday's vote in Punjab is being seen as a potential bellwether for national elections that must be held by October next year, although former Prime Minister Imran Khan has not been elected since he was ousted by a no-confidence vote in April. A campaign has been conducted across the country for polling.

Twenty seats in the Punjab Assembly fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) defector lawmakers at its request when they switched allegiances.

These conspiracies led to a change of government in the province, which is now headed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's son Hamza.

Analysts say the polls give the PTI chairman an opportunity to gauge how well his campaign to garner public support is going.

"If he wins, he will say 'the people are with me' and increase pressure for new elections," political analyst Hassan Askari told AFP.

Also Read: Preparations for by-elections in Punjab enter final stage

He added that if he loses, "Khan will definitely call it a rigged election".

The former prime minister has drawn thousands of rallies across the country since being ousted, delivering lengthy speeches claiming the coalition government was imposed on the country by a US-led conspiracy.

He also blames the current government for rising inflation, although most analysts agree that Prime Minister Shehbaz inherited the country's economic woes - who this week agreed to a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund. Some relief was given by the Resumption Agreement.

The PML-N needs to win at least half of the 20 seats in Punjab or it will hand over control of the provincial assembly to the PTI and its allies.

"The stakes are high on both sides," Askari said.

The future political direction in Pakistan will remain uncertain even in the post-election period.

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