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The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the three major Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML–N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and it is the largest party in terms of representation in the National Assembly of Pakistan since the 2018 general election. With over 10 million members in Pakistan and abroad, it claims to be the country's largest political party by primary membership as well as one of the largest political parties in the world. Despite Khan's popular persona in Pakistan, the PTI had limited initial success: it failed to win, as a collective, a single seat in the 1997 general election and the 2002 general election; only Khan himself was able to win a seat. Throughout the 2000s, the PTI remained in opposition to the presidency of
Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...
, who had spearheaded a military government under the Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid (PML–Q) since the 1999 coup d'état; it also boycotted the 2008 general election, accusing it of having been conducted with fraudulent procedures under Musharraf's rule. The global popularity of the " Third Way" during the Musharraf era led to the rise of a new Pakistani political bloc focused on centrism, deviating from the traditional dominance of the
centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...
PPP and the
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
PML–N. When the PML–Q began to decline in the aftermath of Musharraf's presidency, much of its centrist voter bank was lost to the PTI. Around the same time, the PPP's popularity began to decrease after the disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gillani in 2012. Similarly, the PTI appealed to many former PPP voters, particularly in the provinces of
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
, due to its outlook on
populism Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...
. In the 2013 general election, the PTI emerged as a major party with over 7.5 million votes, ranking second by number of votes and third by number of seats won. At the provincial level, it was voted to power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During its time in opposition, the PTI, with the help of popular slogans such as (), mobilized people in rallies over public distress on various national issues, the most notable of which was the 2014 Azadi march. In the 2018 general election, it received 16.9 million votes—the largest amount for any political party in Pakistan thus far. It then formed the national government in coalition with five other parties for the first time, with Khan serving as the new Pakistani prime minister. However, in April 2022, a no-confidence motion against Khan removed him and his PTI government from office at the federal level. Currently, the PTI governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab at the provincial level and acts as the largest opposition party in
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, while also having significant representation in
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
. Officially, the PTI has stated that its focus is on turning Pakistan into a model welfare state espousing Islamic socialism, and also on dismantling religious discrimination against Pakistani minorities. The PTI terms itself an anti– movement advocating an Islamic democracy centred on
egalitarianism Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all h ...
. It claims to be the only non-dynastic party of mainstream Pakistani politics in contrast to parties such as the PPP and PML–N. Since 2019, the party has been criticized by political opponents and analysts alike for its failures to address various economic and political issues, particularly the Pakistani economy, which was further weakened in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. However, Khan and the PTI were later praised for leading the country’s economic recovery in the pandemic's later stages. During its time in power, the party faced backlash over its crackdown on the Pakistani opposition as well as its regulation of increased censorship through curbs on Pakistani media outlets and freedom of speech.


History


Formative years

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was founded by Imran Khan on 25 April 1996 in
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
. Founded initially as a sociopolitical movement, in June 1996 the first Central Executive Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was formed under the leadership of Imran Khan, including Naeemul Haque, Ahsan Rasheed, Hafeez Khan, Mowahid Hussain, Mahmood Awan and Nausherwan Burki as founding members. PTI began to grow slowly but did not achieve immediate popularity.


Expansion

In October 2002, Khan ran for office in the National Elections and became a member of parliament (MP) for Mianwali, his home town. Khan, however, remained deeply critical of the entire political order of Pakistan, which he deemed corrupt, inefficient, and morally bereft of any of the founding principles of Pakistan. In protest, Khan began a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about his political party. After Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 and Nawaz Sharif returned from self-exile in Saudi Arabia, pressure increased upon President Musharraf to hold democratic elections. PTI, in conjunction with many political parties, joined the All Parties Democratic Movement, which was opposed to further military rule. The general election in 2008 resulted in a PPP victory. This election was boycotted by PTI. A membership drive in November and December 2008 resulted in 150,000 people joining the party.


Ascent to power

PTI emerged as a major party in
2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the 14th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, ...
. Public distress on various issues against the government in following years, led PTI to emerge as a single largest political party in 2018 Pakistani general election and subsequent formation of a coalition government.


Positions


Domestic

Following its ascent to national government of Pakistan, PTI backed off from certain commitments in its manifesto what was criticised by its opponents as ''U-turns''. The PTI also raised issue of religious tolerance and greater representation for minorities. On 20 February 2013 PTI launched its 'Education Policy' with plans to introduce a uniform education system with one curriculum in three languages for Urdu, English and regional languages for entire Pakistan in primary schools. PTI promised to crack down on police brutality, restructure the civil service, reform the electoral system, allow for a truly independent judiciary, decentralise state power, and enforce laws which extend personal liberty. The PTI proposed civilian control of Pakistan's military. The Inter-Services Intelligence service would report directly to the
Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...
, and the defence budget would be audited by the government. Imran Khan also pledged to resign should any terrorism take place from Pakistani soil following these reforms. PTI organised a protest against
drone attacks in Pakistan Between 2004 and 2018, the United States government attacked thousands of targets in northwest Pakistan using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) operated by the United States Air Force under the operational control of the Central Intelligence ...
on 23 November 2013 at
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, where it called on the federal government to force an end to U.S.
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
drone attacks and to block NATO supplies through the country to Afghanistan. "We will put pressure on America, and our protest will continue if drone attacks are not stopped." The U.S. embassy declined to comment on the protest that also temporarily closed a route leading to one of two border crossings used for the shipments. The PTI advocated the establishment of South Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan as official provinces in Pakistan.


Foreign policy

The PTI hopes to have a relationship with the US that would be based on "self-dignity and respect" and promised to stop all
foreign aid to Pakistan Pakistan receives foreign aid from several countries and international organizations. Since the start of the War in Afghanistan, the majority of the aid comes from the United States via the Coalition Support Fund which is reimbursement to Paki ...
. Imran Khan, the leader of PTI claimed ‘having relations with US, Russia and China is in Pakistan’s interest’ and Pakistan's ‘future is tied up with Russia’. The PTI also promised to make Kashmir issue a top priority and would try and solve the issue permanently so that Pakistan no longer has any border or territorial disputes with any of its neighbours.


Organization and structure


Administration

The National Council is the PTI governing body. Its members are: * Office bearers of the provincial organizations * Presidents of regional organizations * Presidents of district organizations * Five members nominated by each of the women, youth, students, labour, farmers, minorities, lawyers and overseas organisations * Advisors nominated by the chairman The National Council elects central office-bearers. ;Intra-party elections In March 2012, PTI announced to hold US-style intra-party election, according to a press briefing the US-style candidate nomination and ticket-awarding process, PTI would aim to introduce local caucuses on district levels throughout the country. Aspiring candidates would undertake debates and undergo primaries to win a party ticket for contesting on Provincial Assembly or National Assembly seats. The elections were held from October 2012 and ended on 23 March 2013 where the party finally elected the National Council after a long drawn electoral process with over four million registered members for their electoral college. With these elections, PTI has become Pakistan's first political party to hold the largest intraparty election from the general electoral base. ;Central functions Most of PTI's central leadership was elected, Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were elected on 20 March 2013. The Secretary information, Secretary Finance, Secretary Social Media, Secretary Political Training, and Secretary Policy Planning are appointed by the chairman and confirmed by the CEC. The executive committee consists of the Central Office bearers (above) and thirty members to be nominated by the chairman from amongst the members of the National Council. ;Provincial Council The elected Provincial Council was finalised on 18 March 2013 for a 4-year term by the various districts of each province it is as follows Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.


Party wings

;Central Tarbiyati Council (CTC) In June 2014, a Central Tarbiyati Council was created whose convener is Firdous Shamim Naqvi, In-charge for Curriculum Development Abdul Quayyum Khan Kundi, In-charge Material Production Khawar Shamsul Hasan, In-charge Implementation and Monitoring Col Ejaz Minhas. The Tarbiyati Council will be responsible to train party activists on ideology, election campaigns, and other organizational matters. ;PTI Women Wing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has a dedicated central wing for women, led by Nausheen Hamid as its elected president and Seemi Ezdi as its elected general secretary. PTI strongly declares its recognition of the rights of women and undertakes to promote and implement policies that protect women from all strata of society, especially the middle and working classes, recognising urban and rural as equal citizens and encouraging the participation of women in national and political life. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf strongly believes in the representation of women at all decision-making levels. ;Insaf Student Federation (ISF) The Insaf Student Federation is the official student wing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. ISF is present in all provinces of Pakistan. ISF has held many protests and rallies in all parts of Pakistan to create awareness about different issues. ;Insaf Youth Wing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has a youth wing for people under the age of 40 to help bring attention to their issues and problems. PTI Youth Wing is led by Ali Abbas Bukhari as the elected president. ;People with disabilities On 18 March 2013 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf became the first political party in Pakistan to announce a comprehensive policy for persons with disabilities (PWD). In its vision PTI would like to ensure the rights of disabled people and they be provided with enough opportunities to play their vital role in society. The party strongly believes in the implementation of the 1991 ordinance which ensured a special quota for persons with disabilities. PTI will acknowledge, facilitate and empower all PWDs enabling them to lead independent and self-fulfilling lives. PTI will also raise awareness about the integration of persons with disabilities into society would work towards the prevention of certain avoidable disabilities through early diagnosis and medical treatment. Fulfilling its commitment to persons with disabilities, the KPK government led by the PTI has approved a budget of over Rs 59 Million initially to help provide rehabilitation services to handicapped people at the local hospital near to their area, it is initially slated to be launched in all 25 districts of the province but will expand further with additional budgetary provisions. ;Insaf Research Wing Insaf Research Wing (IRW) was a part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created to carry out research to find solutions for problems in Pakistan. IRW was created in 2009 to carry out research to find solutions for problems in Pakistan. The foremost goal of IRW was to keep the people of Pakistan and PTI informed and prepared. The wing was composed of 9 committees. Each committee addressed issues related to its field of expertise, which included socio-political, information & technology, economics, energy, healthcare, corruption, foreign affairs, education & environment. The research reports/papers were either commissioned by the central executive committee of PTI or committee members of IRW. The IRW did not follow a preset ideology while carrying out research, nor did it endorse any opinion presented in a published report/paper as an official position. Any published document by the wing did not constitute it as an official position of PTI unless otherwise stated. IRW operated at a national level but its members were located throughout the world bringing in the much needed international experience. IRW practised an open membership policy valid for all Pakistanis regardless of religion or race. The IRW has since been replaced by the Insaf Research Team.


Electoral performance

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf contested the general elections of 1997, 2002, 2013 and 2018. It boycotted the 2008 general elections.


Local Bodies


1997 and 2002 general elections

Less than a year after its founding, PTI contested the 1997 general elections. Imran Khan stood in seven constituencies across Pakistan but did not win a majority in any. In the 2002 general elections, party chairman Imran Khan won one seat from Mianwali. PTI secured 0.8% of the popular vote.


2008 general elections

PTI openly boycotted the Pakistani general election on 18 February 2008 because it believed that the election was fraudulent and laced with irregularities.


2013 general elections

On 21 April 2013 Khan, the chairman of PTI, launched his campaign for the 2013 elections from
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
where he addressed supporters at The Mall, Lahore followed by prayers at the Data Durbar Complex. which was followed by large rallies in Karak and
Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakista ...
. He also announced that he would pull Pakistan out of the US-led
war on terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
and bring peace in the Pashtun tribal belt. On 22 April 2013 Khan addressed different public meetings in Malakand, Lower Dir District and Upper Dir District where he announced that PTI will introduce a uniform education system in which the children of rich and poor will have equal opportunities. On the same day he spoke at a rally in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...
's Constituency NA-56 accompanied by
Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad ( ur, ; born 6 November 1950) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 38th Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2020 to 2022. He is famous because of his smoking cigars and Laal Haveli. He is the founder and leader of A ...
. On 23 April 2013 Khan addressed large rallies in
Renala Khurd Renala Khurd (Punjabi, ur, ) is a growing city in the Okara District in the northeast Punjab province of Pakistan. Khurd is a Persian word meaning small. The city is the headquarters of Renala Khurd Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of t ...
, Okara and other parts of
Sahiwal Division Sahiwal Division ( Punjabi, ur, ) is one of the nine Divisions of Punjab province, Pakistan. It was formed by merging parts of Lahore Division and Multan Division and took its name Sahiwal from the district and city of the same name, which i ...
. He challenged PML-N President
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...
to a live debate, a challenge which PML-N was quick to decline. On 24 April, Khan addressed rallies Nankana Sahib District,
Sheikhupura Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of most populous citie ...
and
Pattoki Pattoki ( ur, ) is a city in the Kasur District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Pattoki Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Kasur District. Pattoki is known as the 'City of Flowers', due to the abundan ...
where he announced that once he comes to power no
parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
arian will receive development funds as they are misused for achieving political gains. On 25 April 2013 Khan addressed political gatherings in South Punjab including in
Pakpattan Pakpattan ( Punjabi and ), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf (; ''"Noble Pakpattan"''), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according ...
, Lodhran and Vehari. On the following day Khan continued his mass campaign in South Punjab, he addressed rallies at
Jalalpur Pirwala Jalalpur Pirwala ( ur, ) is a city and the capital of Jalalpur Pirwala Tehsil, Multan District, Pakistan. This city is about 90 km away towards south from Multan city. Jalalpur Pirwala is a historical city and it was named after a famous Su ...
,
Muzaffargarh Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...
, Mian Channu, Kabirwala and Khanewal where he promised to end the system of tyranny and announced that once in power he will make law which will allow every village or town to elect its own Station House Officer which he believes will prevent corruption and
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to ...
, he also promised to eliminate the post of Patwari and make a computerised and professional land record system. Khan ended his south Punjab campaign by addressing rallies at Bahawalpur, Khanpur, Sadiqabad, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur on 27 April. During the campaign he collectively visited over 25 towns and cities and addressed dozens of rallies and corner meetings, at the end he promised to hang the killers behind the
assassination of Benazir Bhutto The assassination of Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بھُٹو کا قتل) took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country ...
he also said that the local government system is important for the prosperity of Pakistan. On 28 April, Khan moved to central Punjab where he addressed large rallies at Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Sargodha while promising people to bring justice and equality to Pakistan. On 29 April 2013 Khan addressed rallies at Murree,
Talagang Talagang ( ur, ) is a city and the headquarters of the Talagang District located in Punjab, Pakistan. The former Talagang Tehsil Talagang Tehsil (تلا گنگ تحصیل), is a tehsil of Talagang District in the Punjab province of Pakist ...
,
Chakwal Chakwal (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city in Rawalpindi Division, Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 66th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west of the federal capital, Islamabad and 270 kilomet ...
, Taxila and
Attock Attock (Punjabi and Urdu: ), formerly known as Campbellpur (), is a historical city located in the north of Pakistan's Punjab Province, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 61st lar ...
. On 30 April, Khan visited his home town of Mianwali where he addressed several rallies, he lashed out on Bhutto's and Sharif's. He is quoted to say 'You can't lead revolution from behind bulletproof glass' he also claimed that he had conquered fear of dying 17 years ago. On 1 and 2 March, Khan addressed gatherings in Sibi,
Loralai Loralai ( ps, لورلايي, ur, ), also known as Bori ( ps, ), is the division headquarter of Loralai Division and district headquarter of Loralai District. It is in the northeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan. It is above sea leve ...
, Zafarwal,
Pasrur Pasrur (Punjabi and ur, ), is a city of Sialkot District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is the capital of Pasrur Tehsil and is administratively subdivided into 26 wards of municipal committee Pasrur. It is located at 32°16'0N 7 ...
, Narowal,
Jacobabad Jacobabad ( ur, and sd, جيڪب آباد; formerly Khanger or Khangarh) is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative center of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivisi ...
and also led a car rally in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...
. On 3 May Khan continued his campaign at
Battagram Battagram ( ur, , ps, ) is a city and Union Council of Battagram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°41'N 73°1'E and has an altitude of 1038 metres (3408 feet). Climate With a mild and generally warm a ...
,
Mansehra Mansehra is a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Mansehra District. It is the 71st largest city of Pakistan and 7th largest city in the province. The name of the city (written in Hindko, Urdu and Gojr ...
, Torghar District, Abbottabad and Haripur, followed by rallies at Buner District,
Swabi Swabi ( ps, صوابۍ; ur, ) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan,Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
on 4th while promising to abandon war on terror.


2013 general election results

Pakistan's 2013 elections were held on 11 May 2013 throughout the country. The elections resulted in a clear majority of the
Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...
, a strong rival of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf but it did managed to take over the
Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded i ...
as the main opposition to PML-N's candidates in the Punjab Province where the parties popularity was able to push 20 representatives to the Punjab Assembly. PTI also emerged as the second largest party in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. While according to non-official results announced by Pakistani media and the Election Commission of Pakistan. Imran Khan, Chairman of PTI won three of the four constituencies he contested winning from Constituency NA-1, Constituency NA-56 and Constituency NA-71. While Khan's party PTI won 31 directly elected parliamentary seats which is more than 300 per cent more than it got in 2002 elections. PTI was third-largest party nationally as well as being the largest in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
and second largest in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI defeated all mainstream political parties across the province with mostly new candidates. It also won every seat in
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, Nowshera and Mardan district, it is expected that PTI will lead a
coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
in the province. PTI couldn't manage to win a majority in Punjab but made some wins while barely managed to make any inroads in
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
or Baluchistan. PTI got 34 out of 99 seats in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly The Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is located in Peshawar, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of ...
.


Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

According to the polling data available, PTI performed considerably well in Central and Southern
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
, while it ceded ground to Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema (F) in Northern Pakhtunkhwa. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proper, the party failed to get more than 5% of the polled vote in only one constituency, NA-22
Battagram Battagram ( ur, , ps, ) is a city and Union Council of Battagram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°41'N 73°1'E and has an altitude of 1038 metres (3408 feet). Climate With a mild and generally warm a ...
. The party also didn't fare well in FATA which borders the Pakhtunkhwa province. Here PTI won only one constituency, NA-47, out of 12 while failing to win more than 5% of the vote in 3 constituencies NA-36, NA-37, NA-41.


Punjab

In
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
, the party performed the best in the North and the South, where its largest share of seats came from. It managed to win more than 5% of the vote in all constituencies of Northern Punjab. While in Southern Punjab its support was mainly concentrated in Multan along with a belt of districts surrounding it, which include Khanewal, Vehari and
Pakpattan Pakpattan ( Punjabi and ), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf (; ''"Noble Pakpattan"''), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according ...
. Its performance was lackluster in Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar, and
Muzaffargarh Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...
. PTI's performance in Central Punjab was limited to gains in the districts of Mianwali,
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
, Sahiwal, Nankana Sahib,
Sheikhupura Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of most populous citie ...
and Faisalabad. Mianwali district, from where the party's leader,
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
belongs, saw the highest votes polled in the favor of PTI in Punjab at an average of 59.85% in the district's two constituencies. Among other major districts, it performed the worst in
Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The histori ...
and Sargodha. In Sargodha, it failed to win more than 5% of the vote in 3 out of 5 constituencies, while in Jhang the party failed to field candidates in 3 out of 6 constituencies and got more than 5% vote in only one constituency, NA-86. Hafizabad,
Bhakkar Bhakkar ( ur, ), is the principal city of Bhakkar District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th largest city in Pakistan. Administration Bhakkar city is also the administrative centre of Bh ...
and Gujranwala were other weak showings of PTI in Central Punjab.


Sindh

Apart from
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
,
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
was mainly neglected by PTI during much of its election campaign and it shows in the results. The party failed to field its candidates in 19 out of Interior Sindh's 40 constituencies. Where it did field its candidates, it failed to clear the 5% vote benchmark in 18 constituencies. In most such constituencies, the order of the votes was in the hundreds. PTI's only strong showing in interior Sindh was in the constituencies of NA-228 Umerkot and, NA-230 Tharparkar where, the party's vice president, Shah Mehmood Qureshi's spiritual Ghousia Jamaat has a considerable following. In Karachi, PTI bagged an average of 20.37% across 18 of 20 constituencies it participated in. The constituency NA-250 of Karachi recorded the highest percentage of votes polled in the favor of PTI at 61.38%.


Balochistan

In
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, the situation was similar to that of interior Sindh. PTI failed to field its candidates in 4 out of the province's 13 constituencies. Further on, it didn't receive more than 5% of the vote in 7 of the remaining 9. Votes in most of these cases were mere hundreds. It performed relatively well in NA-259 of
Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...
proper and NA-265 Sibi where the party got 14.83% and 6.99% of the vote respectively.


2018 general elections

Pakistan's
2018 elections The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa * 2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general elec ...
were held on 25 July 2018 throughout the country. The elections resulted in a clear majority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the National assembly with 116 won seats. After 28 women and 5 Minority seats, the total number of seats reached 149. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf obtained 0.16 million votes with 31.82% of total cast votes, hence forming a government in the center with the alliance of MQM-P, PML (Q), BAP, BNP-M, GDA, AML and JWP. PTI also formed government in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
by having 78 seats,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
by having 175 seats and a government of alliance in
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
. Following Elections
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
was elected as Prime minister obtaining 176 against Shehbaz Sharif who obtained 96 votes. PTI was also successful in electing its
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...
and deputy speaker national assembly,
Asad Qaiser Asad Qaiser ( ur, ; born 15 November 1969) is a Pakistani politician. He is the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, served from August 2018 to April 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, since Augu ...
and
Qasim Suri Qasim Khan Suri ( ur, born 16 January 1969) is a Pakistani politician. He served as the 19th Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 15 August 2018 to 16 April 2022. Early life and education He was born in January 1969 in Qu ...
respectively. On 4 September 2018, Arif Alvi got elected as 13th President of Pakistan. PTI nominated Usman Ahmad Khan Buzdar as C.M. Punjab,
Mahmood Khan Mahmood Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 30 October 1972) is a Pakistani politician and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently serving as the 27th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 17 August 2018. He has been ...
as C.M. KPK and
Jam Kamal Khan Jam Mir Kamal Khan Alyani (; born 1 January 1970) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th Chief Minister of Balochistan, between August 2018 and October 2021. He has been a member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan since August 2 ...
as C.M. Balochistan. The party also appointed its governors ; Muhammad Sarwar as Governor of Punjab, Pakistan,
Imran Ismail Imran Ismail ( ur, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Pakistani businessman and politician from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He served as the 33rd Governor of Sindh from 27 August 2018 to 18 April 2022. Before being appointed Governor of Sindh, he was a ...
as
Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the chief minister and the chief secretary of S ...
and
Shah Farman Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...
,
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
appointed his
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
with key appointments of
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
given to
Asad Umar Asad Umar ( ur, ; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Init ...
and
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
to Shah Mehmood Qureshi.


Presence across provincial assemblies


Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In the northwestern province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
the PTI formed a governing coalition with the
Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fr ...
and Qaumi Watan parties. On 13 May 2013, Parvez Khattak was appointed
Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( ur, وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا) is the head of government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister leads the legislative branch of the provincial governmen ...
. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Development Advisory Committee includes
Asad Umar Asad Umar ( ur, ; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Init ...
, Jehangir Khan Tareen, Ali Asghar Khan, Khalid Mehsud and Rustam Shah Mohmand. There are 15 ministers selected from the coalition govt to form the cabinet for Chief Minister Parvez Khattak.


Controversies

The party since the 2013 elections has been involved in several controversies.


Foreign funding case


Protests and civil disobedience

PTI launched its first dharna on 14 August 2014. The party was involved in laying siege and paralyzing the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad to stop the Government from functioning. PTI was charged with targeting Pakistan television and parliament and also targeting law enforcement. The party founder Imran Khan burned his utility bills to encourage the participants to join his protest against rising electricity prices.


Justice Wajihuddin tribunal

PTI former leader and in charge for party election tribunal to investigate the corruption and fraud and PTI's internal election rigging. His tribunal expelled Secretary general Jahangir Tareen, PTI's KPK Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and senior leader Nadir Laghari after for manipulating intro-party polls and also reported frauds in party funds. Wajihuddin was later expelled from the party by Imran Khan.


Attacks on journalists and harassment of women by alleged PTI supporters

PTI supporters have been reported to have attacked media persons during their protest demos. Several female journalists have reported harassment by the party workers. The harassment of women has also been reported in PTI's gatherings. During PTI's public protests, Geo News DSNG's had to remove their stickers in order to escape party workers' vandalism. PTI workers also attacked Geo News Islamabad office.


Allegations of conspiracy to dissolve government using judiciary

PTI's ex-president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has alleged that Imran Khan was conspiring to dissolve the government with the Supreme court's chief justice Nasirul Mulk.


See also

* Politics of Pakistan * List of political parties in Pakistan * List of student federations of Pakistan *
List of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPs A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...


References


Further reading

* *


External links


PTI Manifesto
{{Pakistan topics 1996 establishments in Pakistan Islamic democratic political parties Nationalist parties in Pakistan Social democratic parties in Pakistan