Independent candidates affiliated with the former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf party secured the most parliamentary seats in last week’s nationwide election, the election commission announced Sunday. It is a stunning victory for an incarcerated Khan who, two years ago faced a dramatic ouster as prime minister and most recently faced a military-led crackdown analysts say was designed to thwart the cricket icon’s return to power.
7, viewed Khan’s PTI as a change from the elite political dynasties who they perceive as being out of touch with the issues facing the country’s people. When he rose to power in 2018, it was, according to analysts, with the backing of the military. But when he fell out of favor with the generals just a few years later, and was dramatically ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022 for economic mismanagement, rather than backing down, Khan led an unprecedented revolt.