The Supreme Court said Saturday that it would review the conduct of the Friday vote, which could restore Khan’s candidate, Pervez Elahi, as the winner. But whatever the outcome, many observers view the noisy political slugfest as an unfortunate national embarrassment and another black eye for the weak democracy in Pakistan, a political grudge match that has taken precedence over more dire problems facing the impoverished country of 220 million.
Our economy is in very bad shape, and this political uncertainty will add more to our woes,” Ayaz Amir, a veteran newspaper columnist and former liberal legislator, told Dunya Television. “The politicians are focused on power politics and not paying any attention to the real issues,” especially inflation, he said. Pakistani leaders, he said, should show “better sense” instead of “denying people their mandate. Otherwise, I only see chaos and destruction ahead.”
In some ways, Khan has benefited from being an outside critic while his successors must grapple with an economic catastrophe they inherited from him. While in power, Khan was said to have jeopardized a crucial debt bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund when he cut fuel and food costs as he fought to stay in power. Now, the Sharif government has been forced to reverse those policies, making tough and unpopular decisions to salvage the bailout.
Khan has also been free to campaign in poor agricultural regions whiplashed by drought and torrential rains, commiserating with desperate villagers and promising to help them if he returns to power. Last week, he visited a flooded area in southern Punjab, where video footage showed throngs of villagers wading barefoot through ruined fields of muddy water, eager to reach the puddled highway where Khan and his aides were waiting in a caravan.
I was worried that the heavy rains would keep people away, but they walked for miles through the mud and rain, without umbrellas or shoes, to respond to his call,” said Ghulam Sarwar, a legislator for Khan’s party from Sahiwal, the sodden district Khan visited that day. “We grow a lot of wheat and cotton, but we have faced deadly heat and floods,” he said, adding that the Khan government helped small farmers with loans for seeds and fertilizer. “The people here love him, and they will vote for him again,” he said.
Khan has also cultivated huge urban followings since his ouster, holding rallies in cities to promote new elections, rail against incumbent leaders as corrupt and denounce alleged foreign designs against Pakistani independence. On Thursday, the night before the second Punjab election, he suddenly called on his fans to gather in major cities, including Islamabad, and thousands rushed to comply.
In a televised speech that night, broadcast on large outdoor screens via video link, Khan warned of new vote-buying schemes and called on supporters to protest any fraud. He also reprised his vague accusations of an American conspiracy to bring “slavery” and “imported government” to Pakistan, which U.S. officials have denied. But the mood of the rallygoers was upbeat and hopeful.
“He is the only honest leader in this country, the only one who cares about us. All the other politicians are thieves,” said Raja Wali, 30, a driver who brought his wife and two children to the rally. Others in the crowd praised Khan for improving health-care access for the poor and bringing economic development to their chronically impoverished country.
“We are all in the mud now, but he wants to bring us out of it,” said Amir Qureshi, 53, a shoe store owner and volunteer organizer for Khan’s party. “We don’t want Pakistan to become like Sri Lanka, where everything fell apart and blew up. We want it to keep growing, we want new elections soon, and we want him to come back.”
Shaiq Hussain contributed to this report.
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