At first glance, it appeared that there was no possibility of PTI participating in the upcoming general elections. However, statements from other political parties, including the PML-N, and changing stances from various political groups, indicate that PTI may still be a contender in future elections.
After 22 years of struggle, PTI achieved nationwide success in the 2018 general elections, a feat that no one expected from a person who had been the captain of the cricket team that won the World Cup in 1992, transforming him into the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
However, as history has shown, in Pakistan’s 76-year journey, no Prime Minister was allowed to complete their full 5-year term. Nonetheless, the manner in which Imran Khan’s government ended was different from past methods, and he was ousted from the PM House through a vote of no-confidence, a purely legal procedure, following his confrontation with the opposition.
Clearly, any person who attains the office of Prime Minister, and then, overnight, is removed from such a significant position through a vote of no-confidence by the opposition, cannot easily accept this action. Imran Khan too never accepted the event as a reality.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan referred to the incident as a foreign conspiracy, placing blaming the United States, and subsequently, both sides issued critical statements. Pakistan’s military and political leadership also released statements, after which there was little room for further debate.
Then came the incident of May 9, which led to a crisis for PTI because the attack on GHQ and Jinnah House was no minor offense. PTI leadership was accused, and this leadership is still facing legal cases, with Imran Khan serving a prison sentence for the last three years since the conviction.
With Nawaz Sharif on his way home to Pakistan it seems Imran Khan’s stay in prison may be a long one- unless a deal can be struck. The former cricket champion, however, is known for his rigid ways; he may break rather than bend before the kingmakers.
