Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has renewed his call for early elections after a stunning by-election upset saw his party take control of a crucial provincial assembly. His PTI party won 15 of 20 seats up for grabs in Punjab, beating their arch-rivals the PML-N on their home ground.
The result is a foretaste of what could happen in a general election due by October 2023. Mr. Khan was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April. The result in Punjab is a major blow for current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who leads the PML-N. The by-elections were called after MPs from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were disqualified for switching allegiance in a vote to elect Mr. Sharif’s son Hamza as Punjab’s chief minister. But Imran Khan has the wind in his sails. He has been attracting thousands of PTI supporters to rallies since he was ousted.
The result in Punjab suggests voters there wanted to send a message to the country’s leaders about the economic hardships they are facing. Prices are soaring as the government tries to tackle a foreign debt crisis, inherited in large part from Imran Khan’s administration before he was ousted.
Miss Shah believes the Punjab result clearly shows the PTI is in the ascendency. Imran Khan secure the victory for his party without the help of the military; businessmen, and without having any major electable candidates, she said.
