ISLAMABAD: Set in a dying meadow on the outskirts of Islamabad, this gathering did not look like a political rally in the height of election season. Twenty-four men sat silently on plastic chairs. There were no posters to promote the campaign, no microphones to make speeches, and no sound system to excite the crowd.
Even the candidate, Aamir Mughal, went missing. He went into hiding months ago at the first signs of a military-led crackdown on his party. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI. Authorities have already raided his home, arrested two of his sons and filed a case against him in connection with the anti-military protests.
“They are pressuring us to quit the party and politics,” Mughal said in an interview from the hideout where he stayed before attending this weekend’s gathering. “This is all part of an effort to weaken and eliminate the party.”
As Pakistan heads to the polls on Thursday, Pakistan's powerful military used a familiar playbook to sideline the party's opponents and neutralize the PTI in its first general election since its leader, former Prime Minister Imran. CannesClashes with generals led to his ouster from parliament in 2022.
PTI candidates were detained and forced to criticize the party, the candidates say. Candidates, their relatives and human rights observers said their relatives were arrested, their homes ransacked and they were threatened. Officials blocked other PTI candidates from campaigning, censored news coverage of the party and used internet blockades to block live-streamed speeches by PTI leaders. The manhunt also ensnared hundreds of detained PTI supporters.
Khan, who has been imprisoned since August, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets and 14 years in prison in a separate corruption case. Last Saturday, Khan was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison, as was his wife Bushra Bibi, on charges that their marriage broke the law.
Military intervention in Pakistani elections is nothing new (Khan himself was a beneficiary in 2018), but analysts say this vote is one of the least credible in the country's 76-year history.
“This election will be less legitimate than the 2018 election,” he said. Jaigam Khan, political analyst and columnist based in the capital Islamabad. “And you can’t expect political stability or economic stability if your elected government doesn’t have legitimacy.”
The military has been wielding a heavier hand as it faces particularly turbulent moments in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million people where dissatisfaction with the generals' iron fist has simmered in recent months.
For most of Pakistan's existence, the military has either ruled the country directly or exercised enormous influence over the civilian government. Khan accused his generals of leading the move when he was ousted amid disputes over military leadership. At a rally attended by thousands of supporters, Khan condemned the generals by name. This was a direct criticism once unheard of in a country where people called the military “the establishment” and complained only about code.
A viral video produced by Khan's party has stoked frustration with the military among a large group of young supporters who are coming to understand for the first time what the generals' stance means for the country's eternal quest for sustainable politics. When Khan was arrested last May, hundreds of protesters attacked military facilities in scenes that were once unthinkable.
In the months since, the military has sought to reassert control and make clear that its influence over politics will persist, analysts say.
Government officials denied that they illegally interfered in the election with the intention of disrupting the PTI. They have advocated the arrest of PTI members and leaders as a necessary response to the violent protests in May.
“The party appears to be seeing its defeat growing and is using the victim card to cover up the criminal activities of some of its leaders,” said Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi. “The law has run its course,” he added.
Most election observers expect the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), the party led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to win. Nawaz Sharif lost the military's support in 2017, but won it again in this election. election.
The repression made this election probably the quietest in Pakistan in decades. Streets that would normally be filled with political rallies are empty. For weeks, many people were convinced that the election would not be held on the scheduled date. Analysts said the military sought to prevent PTI supporters from attending the polls by demoralizing and confusing them.
“It is unlikely that PTI voters will come out because they already know the election results and think it is predetermined,” said Mohammad Waseem, professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Last month, Khan's party was banned from using the iconic cricket bat symbol – a nod to his sporting fame – to represent candidates on the ballot paper. It was a serious blow to the party in a country where about 40% of people are illiterate and voters rely on symbols to identify candidates.
PTI candidates have also effectively lost the ability to campaign. Permits to hold public gatherings have been revoked or denied outright, according to activists and documents reviewed by The New York Times. Printing companies have been told not to produce PTI posters, employees say. Printed items disappear quickly.
To shore up support, PTI candidates are campaigning in the dark through small, private meetings. On Monday night, dozens of PTI supporters gathered at a dilapidated apartment building on the outskirts of eastern Lahore to hear a PTI candidate speak.
The men snuck in from the unlit street and, using the flashlight on their cellphones, climbed three concrete steps to reach the rooftop. Perched on the railing was a green and red PTI flag.
“We are going door to door to spread Imran Khan’s message in these difficult times,” the candidate said. Wasim Kadir, told the crowd. “I know you all support us.” He reminded voters that if the party's cricket bat icon is banned, it will appear on the ballot paper as a wicket while other candidates will use the medal symbol.
Qadir had planned to hold a public rally this morning, after receiving permission from authorities for the first time since he started campaigning. But that morning, four unmarked cars arrived at his campaign headquarters and security officials arrested one of his drivers and confiscated his sound system, his campaign manager said. The message was informal but clear. Gatherings are not permitted.
The crackdown on PTI supporters has reached pockets of Pakistani society once safe from military harassment. Last May, a large number of women were arrested in connection with violent protests against the military. Even Pakistan's elites, which had traditionally maintained close ties to the military, were swept away.
The arrest in May of the granddaughter of a former army chief in Lahore, a sprawling metropolis and capital of Punjab province, sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of Pakistani society. Her granddaughter Khadijah Shah, a prominent supporter of PTI, was charged with terrorism, sedition and sedition.
Shah, who has denied any involvement in the illegal activity, was granted bail last month after spending seven months in prison. Many of her people believe that her military used her to convey her warning to the rest of her country's elite. The days when they were out of reach of the military are over.
The intimidation campaign has even roped in some people who say they do not support PTI. In October, Islamabad-based podcaster Imran Noshad Khan, was arrested and detained for three days after posting a podcast criticizing the military. He was charged with sedition.
“It has a cooling effect,” Khan said. The message, he added, is “don't give a platform to people who criticize the establishment because of their role in politics.”
Even the candidate, Aamir Mughal, went missing. He went into hiding months ago at the first signs of a military-led crackdown on his party. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI. Authorities have already raided his home, arrested two of his sons and filed a case against him in connection with the anti-military protests.
“They are pressuring us to quit the party and politics,” Mughal said in an interview from the hideout where he stayed before attending this weekend’s gathering. “This is all part of an effort to weaken and eliminate the party.”
As Pakistan heads to the polls on Thursday, Pakistan's powerful military used a familiar playbook to sideline the party's opponents and neutralize the PTI in its first general election since its leader, former Prime Minister Imran. CannesClashes with generals led to his ouster from parliament in 2022.
PTI candidates were detained and forced to criticize the party, the candidates say. Candidates, their relatives and human rights observers said their relatives were arrested, their homes ransacked and they were threatened. Officials blocked other PTI candidates from campaigning, censored news coverage of the party and used internet blockades to block live-streamed speeches by PTI leaders. The manhunt also ensnared hundreds of detained PTI supporters.
Khan, who has been imprisoned since August, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets and 14 years in prison in a separate corruption case. Last Saturday, Khan was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison, as was his wife Bushra Bibi, on charges that their marriage broke the law.
Military intervention in Pakistani elections is nothing new (Khan himself was a beneficiary in 2018), but analysts say this vote is one of the least credible in the country's 76-year history.
“This election will be less legitimate than the 2018 election,” he said. Jaigam Khan, political analyst and columnist based in the capital Islamabad. “And you can’t expect political stability or economic stability if your elected government doesn’t have legitimacy.”
The military has been wielding a heavier hand as it faces particularly turbulent moments in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million people where dissatisfaction with the generals' iron fist has simmered in recent months.
For most of Pakistan's existence, the military has either ruled the country directly or exercised enormous influence over the civilian government. Khan accused his generals of leading the move when he was ousted amid disputes over military leadership. At a rally attended by thousands of supporters, Khan condemned the generals by name. This was a direct criticism once unheard of in a country where people called the military “the establishment” and complained only about code.
A viral video produced by Khan's party has stoked frustration with the military among a large group of young supporters who are coming to understand for the first time what the generals' stance means for the country's eternal quest for sustainable politics. When Khan was arrested last May, hundreds of protesters attacked military facilities in scenes that were once unthinkable.
In the months since, the military has sought to reassert control and make clear that its influence over politics will persist, analysts say.
Government officials denied that they illegally interfered in the election with the intention of disrupting the PTI. They have advocated the arrest of PTI members and leaders as a necessary response to the violent protests in May.
“The party appears to be seeing its defeat growing and is using the victim card to cover up the criminal activities of some of its leaders,” said Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi. “The law has run its course,” he added.
Most election observers expect the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), the party led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to win. Nawaz Sharif lost the military's support in 2017, but won it again in this election. election.
The repression made this election probably the quietest in Pakistan in decades. Streets that would normally be filled with political rallies are empty. For weeks, many people were convinced that the election would not be held on the scheduled date. Analysts said the military sought to prevent PTI supporters from attending the polls by demoralizing and confusing them.
“It is unlikely that PTI voters will come out because they already know the election results and think it is predetermined,” said Mohammad Waseem, professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Last month, Khan's party was banned from using the iconic cricket bat symbol – a nod to his sporting fame – to represent candidates on the ballot paper. It was a serious blow to the party in a country where about 40% of people are illiterate and voters rely on symbols to identify candidates.
PTI candidates have also effectively lost the ability to campaign. Permits to hold public gatherings have been revoked or denied outright, according to activists and documents reviewed by The New York Times. Printing companies have been told not to produce PTI posters, employees say. Printed items disappear quickly.
To shore up support, PTI candidates are campaigning in the dark through small, private meetings. On Monday night, dozens of PTI supporters gathered at a dilapidated apartment building on the outskirts of eastern Lahore to hear a PTI candidate speak.
The men snuck in from the unlit street and, using the flashlight on their cellphones, climbed three concrete steps to reach the rooftop. Perched on the railing was a green and red PTI flag.
“We are going door to door to spread Imran Khan’s message in these difficult times,” the candidate said. Wasim Kadir, told the crowd. “I know you all support us.” He reminded voters that if the party's cricket bat icon is banned, it will appear on the ballot paper as a wicket while other candidates will use the medal symbol.
Qadir had planned to hold a public rally this morning, after receiving permission from authorities for the first time since he started campaigning. But that morning, four unmarked cars arrived at his campaign headquarters and security officials arrested one of his drivers and confiscated his sound system, his campaign manager said. The message was informal but clear. Gatherings are not permitted.
The crackdown on PTI supporters has reached pockets of Pakistani society once safe from military harassment. Last May, a large number of women were arrested in connection with violent protests against the military. Even Pakistan's elites, which had traditionally maintained close ties to the military, were swept away.
The arrest in May of the granddaughter of a former army chief in Lahore, a sprawling metropolis and capital of Punjab province, sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of Pakistani society. Her granddaughter Khadijah Shah, a prominent supporter of PTI, was charged with terrorism, sedition and sedition.
Shah, who has denied any involvement in the illegal activity, was granted bail last month after spending seven months in prison. Many of her people believe that her military used her to convey her warning to the rest of her country's elite. The days when they were out of reach of the military are over.
The intimidation campaign has even roped in some people who say they do not support PTI. In October, Islamabad-based podcaster Imran Noshad Khan, was arrested and detained for three days after posting a podcast criticizing the military. He was charged with sedition.
“It has a cooling effect,” Khan said. The message, he added, is “don't give a platform to people who criticize the establishment because of their role in politics.”