It was said to be the "mother of all selections". The 'establishment', read Pakistan army, had planned it all to select the new prime minister. Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan has been kept in jail for many months now. He has been sentenced thrice, with almost over 20 years in jail, in just one week before the elections. Another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, ended his self-imposed exile, and came back to Pakistan well in time for national elections.
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The 'establishment' ensured that neither Imran Khan nor his party, Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), could easily campaign or contest in the elections. Khan has been barred from running in the elections, effectively sidelined from the political 'field.' The Election Commission of Pakistan also stripped PTI of its traditional 'bat' symbol, forcing its candidates to run as independents. Despite these challenges, Khan attempted to campaign from jail using AI and social media, though his efforts were often thwarted by internet outages during his speeches.
