Supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) cheer during a rally on the last day of the election campaign in Kasur of Punjab province, on Feb. 6, 2024, ahead of Pakistan's national elections.
Supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz cheer during a rally on the last day of the election campaign in Kasur of Punjab province, on Feb. 6, 2024, ahead of Pakistan's national elections.—which happens Thursday—will be looked back on as a grim reminder that history can be both tragedy and farce at the same time.
But the franchise of Pakistan’s 128 million eligible voters needs a big asterisk. The PTI isn’t banned, but court rulings havethe party of its cricket-bat electoral symbol, a major blow in a nation with a 40% percent illiteracy rate, and it can only field candidates as independents. Meanwhile, many top party leaders have been jailed, or pressured to switch parties or quit politics altogether. Others have gone underground. Khan has been, of PTI supporters have been jailed.