Despite the fact that its founder was imprisoned in what he claims were politically driven cases and was not allowed to run for government, the PTI said it is confident that it can win this week’s general election in Pakistan.
With the aid of fresh, frequently inexperienced candidates and a social media backlash, the party hopes to defeat the crackdown by the government.
Rehena Dar is being swept through Sialkot’s back streets, past the pictures of her face emblazoned on the city’s tiny street corners in the Punjab region. The sound of drummers beating opens her path as she soared.
If she’s surprised to find herself in politics at the age of seventy-nine, she doesn’t let on for long. It appears that many of her fellow candidates have shrugged off the fears that have forced them into hiding or out of politics.
Her confident voice belies years of campaigning for political office. “It is very good that the proud sons and daughters, brothers, and mothers of my city Sialkot are standing with me,” she exclaims.
“I shall remain with Imran Khan as long as I am with him. I shall continue to fly Imran Khan’s flag and take to the streets if I am left on my own in public.”
Looking around quickly confirms it to be true. Imran Khan’s image is raised by the tiny group of people gathered around Mrs. Dar, while flags supporting his PTI fly overhead.
However, Mrs. Dar is not running for the PTI. Rather, she is officially an independent, as are all of their candidates, as a result of the election commission’s decision to remove the PTI’s cricket bat insignia.
It may seem like a little choice, but having a recognizable symbol that the candidates use on the voting paper is important in a nation where 58% of people are literate. Every candidate now has an alternate emblem; Mrs. Dar’s is a baby cot, while other candidates’ symbols range from a saxophone to a kettle.
The choice is but one of the several obstacles. Those, according to the PTI, are in the way of the party’s preparations for the February 8 election.
