THE RESULTS OF the parliamentary polls came as a surprise to many people as former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats, despite the party losing its iconic election symbol ‘cricket bat’ and its candidates contesting as ‘independents’. While the PTI-backed independents won 92 of 265 seats to which direct elections were held, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 79 and 54 seats, respectively. Imran has ruled out any alliance with the major parties and has directed his supporters to join hands with the Majlis-e-Wahdat-Muslimeen (MWM) to try and form governments at the centre and in Punjab. He has also indicated an alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PTI said that its mandate was stolen after the PML-N and the PPP announced a plan to form a coalition government under former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto announced on February 13 that his party would support the PML-N candidate for prime minister, but would not join the cabinet. The PPP, however, is eyeing several constitutional positions like the president, the speaker of the National Assembly and the chairman of the senate (upper house).
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, said the results showed that Imran and the PTI were more popular among the masses than their competitors. “This is despite the fact that Imran is in prison and has been convicted in a few cases,” he said. “Several top PTI leaders are either imprisoned or underground. Even if the PTI is unable to come to power at the national level, Imran holds the key to the current political crisis in the country.”
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
