Khan demands early election after key victory in Punjab vote

IMRAN KHAN has called for an early election after defeating the Pakistani government in a key vote, three months after being cast from power.

The former cricketer’s party won enough seats to regain control of Punjab province, after months of rallies in which he declared that he had been ousted as prime minister by a foreign conspiracy.

Early tallies predicted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) had won 15 of 20 seats in Pakistan’s most populous province, and the 69-year-old renewed his demands for a general election to be brought forward.

Mr Khan has been on the campaign trail since being turfed out by a no-confidence vote and has told crowds he was the victim of US scheming because Washington was angered by his independent foreign policy.

Washington says such claims are nonsense, but analysts said Sunday’s victory was a strong indication Mr Khan might be able to translate support at his rallies into ballot box success.

The Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) government led by Shehbaz Sharif has also paid a price for scrapping fuel subsidies to get an international bailout.

“The only way forward from here is to hold free and transparent elections,” Mr Khan said yesterday. “Any other way will lead to increased political uncertainty and further economic chaos.”

Mr Khan’s rallies have also involved supporters protesting against the country’s military, which carries significant political clout and has often held coups or acted as the political kingmaker.

The army was seen as backing Mr Khan during his 2018 election victory, but he has since blamed senior generals for turning on him earlier this year.

Asfandyar Mir, of the United States Institute of Peace, said the result was “a bigger political win for the PTI than their tainted 2018 win, which puts Mr Khan on track to return to power stronger than before”.

Pakistan last week managed to persuade the International Monetary Fund to resume a bailout programme, but only after cutting fuel subsidies leading to price hikes which have badly hit motorists and businesses.

The rupee fell to new lows in the wake of the poll, amid the spectre of more political turmoil.

Madiha Afzal, of the Brookings Institution think tank, said the PTI win meant Mr Sharif would struggle to govern. She said: “[The] Punjab by-elections show that Khan’s narrative has resonated with the population, and that the PML-N will need to rethink its strategy and update its approach.”

‘The only way is to hold free elections. Any other way will lead to political uncertainty and further economic chaos’