Pakistan’s Lahore Inside the shrine of Ali al-Hajveri in Lahore, Pakistan, the second largest city and the capital of the politically significant Punjab province, is where Shayan Bhatti is amid hundreds of worshippers.
Wearing a black shawl over his shoulder and a white shalwar kameez, Bhatti visited the shrine to offer prayers for Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime leader who has been imprisoned since August of last year, as well as for his family’s well-being.
“He is my leader, and he was wrongfully imprisoned. Unfairly, his spouse and his party guests have also been imprisoned. The 62-year-old said to Al Jazeera, “I prayed for his success, for his freedom, and for justice.”
Saint Al-Hajveri, better known as Data Ganj Baksh, is the patron saint of Lahore. One of the biggest Sufi shrines in South Asia is Daata Darbar, the shrine dedicated to him. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to the shrine to pray for forgiveness and wealth.
Large posters featuring images of Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime leader who was exonerated of various corruption allegations late last year after returning from a self-imposed four-year exile in London, greeted Bhatti as he left the shrine on Tuesday night.
“I will vote for Khan. He spoke in a determined tone, “I will bring my family to cast my vote for him even if nobody else comes out to vote.
On Thursday, 127 million eligible voters in Pakistan will cast ballots in the country’s 12th national and provincial elections. However, Khan’s absence—a former cricketing icon—and claims of vote-rigging by the “establishment”—a term for the ruling class—have contaminated the outcome.
Consequently, the street campaign for the election is subdued and lacks the customary excitement.
There was little sign on Tuesday that it was the last night of campaigning in the parliamentary constituency that encompasses the Daata Darbar and older parts of Lahore. This region is thought to be a stronghold of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, which is led by 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif and his dynasty.
