Authors: Xiang Wu and Salman Ali
Affiliation: Fudan University China
Organization/Publisher: Chinese Political Science Review
Date/Place: July 25, 2020/ Switzerland
Type of Literature: Journal Article
Number of Pages: 21
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7382323/
Keywords: Pakistan, Party politics, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, Organizational strength
Brief:
On October 30, 2011, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI, Movement for Justice) organized a massive public gathering at a historical ground in Lahore, Pakistan. Imran Khan, the Chairman of PTI, challenged the political status-quo by accusing it of corruption for the last 30 years. The support PTI gained from the establishment attracted many seasoned politicians and within a span of 7 years it emerged as a third political party. The traditional politics of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) were cornered by PTI in the 2018 general elections. PTI formed its voter-base from the center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab, and an alliance in Baluchistan, the largest province of Pakistan. This development in Pakistan’s political arena was not a surprise internally, but on the foreign front state affairs have been revamped. The current opposition is restricted and contained under the charges of corruption and abuse of power during its last tenures. According to this article, a vacuum emerged enabling a third political party due to the decades-long traditional politics of two parties in Pakistan, which moment was capitalized by PTI under the leadership of Imran Khan. Pakistan’s masses, specifically the youth, were attracted to PTI’s anti-corruption and justice manifesto and the party’s modern mobilization using social media. Moreover, under the current government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, civil-military equilibrium is balanced with zero tensions related to power sharing. Furthermore, the foreign policy of Pakistan is more coherent as compared to past governments and relations with external powers are scaled up both politically and economically.
By: Muhammad Taimoor Bin Tanveer, CIGA Senior Research Associate
