Strong vote showing for jailed Khan
Pro-Khan independents won 99 seats in parliament.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP — An artificial intelligence-generated video released Saturday by the party of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has him claiming victory in the country’s election.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf defied a monthslong crackdown that crippled campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents in Thursday’s vote, but their strong showing stunned observers.
A slow counting process showed independents had won at least 99 seats — 88 of them loyal to Khan — by Saturday morning.
The army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz took 71 and the Pakistan Peoples Party snapped up 53 — with minor parties taking the rest and 15 of the elected 266-seat National Assembly still to be announced.
“I congratulate you all on winning the 2024 elections. I strongly believed in you all, that you would go out to vote,” Khan is credited as saying in the AI video shared early Saturday on his X profile — the fourth his party has produced.
Khan’s physical appearance is from a genuine video clip recorded last year, but his voice and speech are artificially generated.
Khan was convicted last week of treason, graft and having an unIslamic marriage in three separate trials — among nearly 200 cases brought against him since being ousted.
His party redefined election campaigning in Pakistan with its social media “rallies” and use of AI technology.
TV channels are prohibited from mentioning Khan’s name or showing video clips of him, and the party was barred from holding in-person rallies.
Instead, PTI media staff took the party’s election campaign online, holding YouTube and TikTok “rallies” — despite authorities regularly blocking internet access when they did so.
The strategy is widely credited with earning independent candidates loyal to PTI the youth vote, contributing significantly to their success.