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☆ Ex-Pakistan Premier Imran Khan's Party Nominates Omar Ayub as PM Candidate
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaaf (PTI) party run by former Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated party general secretary Omar Ayub as its candidate for prime minister, another party leader said on Thursday. Independent candidates backed by jailed former premier Imran Khan have won 92 seats in last week's election, making them the largest group, but they cannot form a government on their own, having run as individuals and not a party.

Persons: Imran Khan, Omar Ayub Organizations: Reuters, Insaaf Locations: Pakistan

☆ Shehbaz Sharif Set for Pakistan's Top Job as Elder Brother Steps Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. The deal was signed after Sharif personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June. Although defence and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the U.S. and China, both major allies. He started his political career as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature "can-do" administrative style. As chief minister, the younger Sharif planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan's first modern mass transport system in Lahore.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif's, Maryam, Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz, Kristalina Georgieva, Tehmina Durrani, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, London, country's, Punjab, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Panama, Karachi

☆ Coalition government deal in Pakistan leaves Imran Khan’s party out of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Two of Pakistan’s major political parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - say they will form a coalition government after last week’s inconclusive elections. The move means the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not be in power, despite independent candidates affiliated with it gaining the most votes. The PMLN also released a statement that Shahbaz Sharif would be the party’s candidate for prime minister. Earlier on Tuesday, the PPP’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said his party would support the PLMN candidate for prime minister. The party would also field its candidates for the National Assembly speaker, chairman of the Senate, and president, he said.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Imran Khan’s, Nawaz Sharif, Khan, ” Zardari, Sharif, “, ” Bhutto Zardari Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, PPP, PTI, National Assembly, Senate Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Lahore, Wahdat

☆ Who Are the Major Players After Pakistan’s Stunning Election?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Alan Yuhas | Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The stunning election success of a party whose leader is in jail has set off a political crisis in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million people. The stakes are high: Pakistanis face soaring inflation and costs of living, frequent blackouts, resurgent terrorist attacks and tense relations with their neighbors. Imran Khan: The jailed leaderImran Khan, a former prime minister and cricket star, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison on charges that include leaking state secrets and unlawful marriage. He is barred from holding office, and his supporters call the charges, which he denies, an effort by the military to silence its leading critic. In the election last week, candidates aligned with Mr. Khan won more seats in Parliament than any other group — but still fell short of forming a majority on their own.

Persons: Imran Khan, Mr, Khan Locations: Pakistan

☆ A millennial couple in Singapore bought a 30-year-old public housing apartment for $535,000. They turned it into an artsy, industrial-style home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Amanda Goh/Business InsiderBTO flats are new apartments sold by the Housing Development Board on 99-year leases . Amanda Goh/Business InsiderThe couple paid 720,000 Singapore dollars, or about $535,000, for the apartment in late 2022. Amanda Goh/Business InsiderThere's hardly anything they would like to change about their home — except maybe the couch. Amanda Goh/Business InsiderThe couple has a tip for those who want to renovate their homes: Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through. "Sometimes it's more meaningful to buy loose items instead of having built-in things," Imran said.

Persons: —, Imran Ismail, Fadzeera Fadzully, they've, Amanda Goh, Imran, we're, we've, Fadzeera, We've, There's, I've Organizations: Service, Housing, Business Locations: Singapore, Bedok

☆ Analysis: Pakistan’s youth deliver stinging rebuke to military elite by backing jailed leader Khan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —His political party is effectively banned, his speeches are barred from television, and he faces at least 14 years in prison. But as the Pakistan election results show, Imran Khan cannot be suppressed. Independent candidates affiliated with the former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats in last week’s nationwide election, the election commission announced Sunday. “Now show the strength of protecting your vote.” Khan’s team has previously used AI to deliver his speeches from behind bars. Akhtar Soomro/Reuters/FileWhen he rose to power in 2018, it was, according to analysts, with the backing of the military.

Persons: Pakistan CNN —, Imran Khan, Khan, “, ”, Khan’s, –, Hashim Ali Dogar, Shayan Bashir Nawaz, Raoof Hassam, Madiha Afzal, Akhtar Soomro, Rabiya Arooj, Nawaz Sharif, Husain Haqqani, Anwar Gargash, Manahil Ahmed, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sundas Kalsoom, Insaaf, Gohar Ali Khan, Hasham Ahmed, Fahd Humayun Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Independent, PTI, CNN, Foreign, Brookings Institution, Pakistani, United, Hudson Institute, Washington D.C, Getty, Haqqani, Political, Neubauer, Tufts University, “ Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Lahore, “, Punjab, Washington, Imran Khan Pakistan, British India, It’s, United States, Pakistani, Abu Dhabi, Peshawar, Buner, AFP, Egypt

While election winners were celebrating victory, PTI and other parties refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies. Dozens of Khan’s supporters were briefly detained in the eastern city of Lahore over the weekend while protesting alleged vote-rigging. Khan could not run in the election because of the criminal convictions against him that he says are politically motivated. No party won a majority, however, so the parties will have to hold talks on forming a coalition government. The Pakistan Muslim League-N party led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif secured 75.

Persons: Pakistan's, Imran Khan, Khan, Jan Achakzai, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, establishment’s Organizations: National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, PML Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan, Lahore, Baluchistan

☆ Election Shocker in Pakistan: Where the Country Goes From Here
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Imran Khan’s stunning performance in Pakistan’s national election has upended most traditional political forecasts in a country where leaders who run afoul of the powerful military rarely find electoral success. Here’s what to know about the uncertainty now hanging over Pakistan’s political system. Mr. Khan’s supporters are challenging the results of dozens of races in the country’s courts, and pressure is growing on Pakistan’s Election Commission to acknowledge the widely reported irregularities in the vote counting. Backers of Mr. Khan say they will hold peaceful protests outside election commission offices in constituencies where they contend the rigging took place. Protests have already erupted in several parts of the country, especially in the restive southwestern Baluchistan Province.

Persons: Imran Khan’s, Khan, What’s, Khan’s Organizations: Mr Locations: Baluchistan Province

☆ Imran Khan’s ‘Victory Speech’ From Jail Shows A.I.’s Peril and Promise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has spent the duration of the country’s electoral campaign in jail, disqualified from running in what experts have described as one of the least credible general elections in the country’s 76-year history. But from behind bars, he has been rallying his supporters in recent months with speeches that use artificial intelligence to replicate his voice, part of a tech-savvy strategy his party deployed to circumvent a crackdown by the military. And on Saturday, as official counts showed candidates aligned with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., winning the most seats in a surprise result that threw the country’s political system into chaos, it was Mr. Khan’s A.I. voice that declared victory.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan’s Locations: Pakistan

☆ What's Next in Pakistan Election Deadlock
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Gibran Naiyyar PeshimamISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's national election ended with no party winning a majority in parliament, in polls marred by militant violence, political turmoil and questions of transparency. The two, along with other smaller parties, form a coalition government in which Sharif or his brother is prime minister and important positions are given to other parties. The two parties were in government together for 16 months till August, with Bhutto Zardari as foreign minister and Sharif's brother Shehbaz as prime minister. BHUTTO ZARDARI PUSHES TO HEAD COALITION GOVERNMENTWhile Sharif and Khan's candidates won the most seats, no party can form government without the PPP. With both looking to keep the other out of power, the PPP strikes a deal to make the young Bhutto Zardari prime minister.

Persons: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, SHARIF, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Shehbaz, Khan, BHUTTO ZARDARI, Sharif's, Gibran Peshimam, Sonali Paul Organizations: Monetary Fund, National Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, Pakistan

☆ The Rise, and Fall, and Rise Again of Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Pakistan’s government censored the media, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party posted campaign videos on TikTok. When the police barred his supporters from holding rallies, they hosted virtual gatherings online. And when Mr. Khan ended up behind bars, his supporters produced speeches using artificial intelligence to simulate his voice. The success of candidates aligned with Mr. Khan’s party in last week’s election — snagging more seats than any other in Parliament — was a stunning upset in Pakistani politics. Since Mr. Khan fell out with the country’s generals and was ousted by Parliament in 2022, his supporters had faced a military-led crackdown that experts said was designed to sideline the former prime minister.

Persons: Imran Khan’s, Khan, — Locations: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Allies of imprisoned Pakistani ex-premier Imran Khan won more seats in national elections than the political parties who ousted him from power nearly two years ago, according to a final tally of results published Sunday. Khan, who was kicked out of office through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has been in prison since last August. The final tally showed that independent candidates secured 101 out of 266 seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament. The Pakistan People’s Party, or PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, came in third with 54 seats. By Friday evening, seeing his party trail behind the independent candidates backed by Khan, he spoke of alliances and joining hands.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Sharif, establishment's Organizations: —, PTI, Supreme, National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, PML Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistani, Pakistan

☆ Pakistan releases official election results, independents affiliated with Khan’s PTI secure most seats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Heather Chen | Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Pakistan’s official election results were announced by the election commission on Sunday, with independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party securing the most seats in parliament. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, independent candidates won 102 seats. The majority of the independents are affiliated with Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PMLN), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 73 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 54 seats. The PTI party has called on party workers and supporters to hold protests on Sunday outside polling offices in constituencies where party members say election results were “withheld and delayed.”The capital Islamabad has imposed Section 144, allowing police to take legal action against any illegal assemblies and activities.

Persons: CNN —, Imran Khan’s, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif Organizations: CNN, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, PTI Locations: Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Pakistan, Islamabad

☆ Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan aide says party aims to form government
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan (R) addresses his supporters during an anti-government march towards capital Islamabad, demanding early elections, in Gujranwala on November 1, 2022. A senior aide to Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday their party would try to form a government as it had won the most seats in Thursday's general election. Interim party chief Gohar Ali Khan called on all institutions in Pakistan to respect the party's mandate, telling a press conference in Islamabad that if complete results were not released by Saturday night, the party would hold a peaceful protest on Sunday. Khan and rival ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have both claimed victory. Independent candidates backed by Khan won the most seats, despite him being in jail and his party barred from the polls.

Persons: Imran Khan, Pakistan's, Gohar Ali Khan, Khan, Nawaz Sharif Organizations: Interim Locations: Islamabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan

The strongly worded reaction from the Foreign Ministry insisted the vote was peaceful and successful. The U.S. State Department said that Thursday's vote was held under undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. In Thursday's vote, no political party gained a simple majority and independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan took a lead in the vote count. Candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won 100 out of the 266 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly. Also Saturday, the leader of a political party was wounded and two police officers killed in a clash in the country's northwest.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan's, Nawaz Sharif, Khan, Mohsin Dawar, Zahid Khan Organizations: —, Foreign Ministry, U.S . State Department, European Union, National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League Locations: ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan, Pakistan, North Waziristan

☆ Army Chief Congratulates Pakistan on 'Successful Conduct' of Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army chief congratulated the country on Saturday for the "successful conduct" of its national elections, saying the nation needed "stable hands" to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarisation". The United States, Britain and the European Union on Friday each expressed concerns about Pakistan's electoral process in the wake of Thursday's vote, urging a probe into reported irregularities. The parties of former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and the jailed Imran Khan, also a former premier, both claimed victory. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Charlotte Greenfield, William Mallard Organizations: European Union Locations: ISLAMABAD, United States, Britain

If no party wins a majority of 169 seats, the one with the biggest share can form a coalition government. The vote was overshadowed by violence, an unprecedented national shutdown of all mobile phone services and allegations of vote rigging. Pakistan’s national human rights body said there was no excuse for the hold-up and expressed concern about the lack of transparency. DEALS, DEALS, DEALSNo party won a majority of National Assembly seats. She accompanied her father at rallies, giving fiery and uncompromising speeches, and escorted him on polling day when he went to cast his vote.

Persons: hadn't, Imran Khan's, Salman Akram Raja, hasn’t, Nawaz Sharif, kingmaker, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif’s, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Benazir’s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Maryam Nawaz, Bilawal, Maryam, Shehbaz, Hamza Organizations: —, National Assembly, U.S, Union, Court, Fair, PTI, Pakistan People’s Party, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Locations: LAHORE, Pakistan, — Pakistan, Lahore, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan, Punjab province

☆ Shocking Opposition Victory Throws Pakistan Into Chaos
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The party of the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, won the most seats in parliamentary elections this week, delivering a strong rebuke to the country’s powerful generals and throwing the political system into chaos. Never before in the country’s history has a politician seen such success in an election without the backing of the generals — much less after facing their iron fist. In voting on Thursday, candidates from Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., appeared to win about 97 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, the country’s election commission reported on Saturday. The military’s preferred party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or P.M.L.N., led by a three-time former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, won at least 73 seats, the commission said. Only seven seats were left unaccounted for — not enough to change the outcome as reported by the commission.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan’s, —, Nawaz Sharif Organizations: National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Locations: Pakistan

☆ Pakistan Is Stunned as Early Election Results Look Like a Real Race
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | More About Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistani voters on Friday were anxiously awaiting the final results of a national election that has stunned many in the country by denying Pakistan’s powerful military a widely expected landslide victory for its preferred party. That party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, remained the front-runner as preliminary totals trickled in a day after the voting. But the prolonged uncertainty made clear that the military, long the guiding hand in Pakistani politics, had failed in its heavy-handed effort to gut a rival party affiliated with another former prime minister, Imran Khan. The tight races may constitute as close to an upset as possible in a country where the military is the ultimate authority. They reflected the deep, loyal base of support that Mr. Khan has cultivated since he was ousted by Parliament in 2022, as well as his unique ability to outmaneuver the military’s playbook for sidelining politicians who have fallen out of its favor.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Khan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Locations: Punjab

☆ Independents Win 47 of 106 Seats Counted in Pakistan Poll, Most Backed by Imran Khan - Geo News
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Independent candidates contesting Pakistan's national election, most of whom are backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, won in 47 of 106 parliamentary seats as counting progressed on Friday, according to projections by broadcaster Geo News. Results have been declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan in a total of 57 seats so far, according to the panel's website. Elections were held to 264 of the 265 seats in the national assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)(PML-N), which has won at least 17 seats so far, may form a coalition government with independent candidates, Sharif's aide Ishaq Dar suggested on Friday, Geo reported. "I am confident that we will form a government," Dar said, adding that his party would concede if any other party emerged a clear winner.

Persons: Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif's, Nawaz, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, Geo, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh Organizations: Pakistan's, Geo, Former, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, YP Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan

☆ Former Pakistani PM says his party emerged as largest from election but fell short of majority
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad CNN —Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif claimed Friday that his party had emerged as the largest in the country’s election even as independents affiliated with jailed leader Imran Khan took the lead and protests broke out over delays to the count. If Sharif’s party forms the new government he would become prime minister for a historic fourth term. Analysts have described the vote as the least credible in the country’s post-independence history, accusing authorities of “pre-poll rigging” amid a wide crackdown on Khan’s party. His longtime foe, 74-year-old Sharif, a scion of the elite Sharif political dynasty, is seeking to make what would be a remarkable political comeback following years of self-exile overseas after he was sentenced to prison on corruption charges. Also standing is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, hoping to reestablish his Pakistan People’s Party as a major political force.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Khan, Sharif, Shabaz Sharif, ” Sharif, Khan’s, “, ”, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Islamabad CNN — Former Pakistani, National Assembly, Human Rights, ”, PTI, Pakistan People’s Party Locations: Islamabad, country’s, Pakistan, Shangla, Pakistan’s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

☆ Pakistan's ex-PM Nawaz Sharif declares victory in fraught election as opponents claim vote rigging
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Campaign posters for Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's former prime minister, along a street ahead of Pakistan's national election in Lahore, Pakistan, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared victory on Friday in the country's 2024 General Election, one that many Pakistanis and human rights groups are decrying as neither free nor fair. Sharif, 74, cited the Election Commission of Pakistan in saying that his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had won the largest share of the national vote. "Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will almost certainly win," Chaudhuri said as the polls opened. A lifetime ban from partaking in politics and multiple corruption convictions for Sharif were overturned by Pakistani courts last year.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Chaudhuri, Sharif, mending Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Eurasia Group, CNBC Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, Sharif, South Asia, U.K

☆ UN Chief Concerned by Violence, Communication Restriction on Pakistan Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle Nichols and Kanishka SinghUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern about violence in Pakistan and the suspension of mobile communications services on election day in the South Asian nation, his spokesperson said in an emailed statement. CONTEXTThousands of troops were deployed on the streets in Pakistan and at polling stations across the country. Despite the heightened security, nine people, including two children, were killed on Thursday in bomb blasts, grenade attacks and shootings. At least another 26 were killed on Wednesday in two explosions near electoral candidates' offices in the southwestern province of Balochistan. Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. State Department also said it was concerned about steps taken to "restrict freedom of expression" in Pakistan, especially related to phone and internet access.

Persons: Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Antonio Guterres, Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Stephane Dujarric, Sandra Maler Organizations: NATIONS, Reuters, United Nations, Mobile, Interior Ministry, Amnesty, Pakistan Muslim League, Islamic State, U.S . State Department Locations: Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Balochistan, Islamic

☆ Pakistan election 2024: Millions will head to the polls in an election mired in controversy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Millions in Pakistan will head to the polls on Thursday for a general election in which old dynasties are vying for power while the country’s widely popular former leader languishes behind bars unable to stand and militants ramp up deadly attacks. Mobile internet has been suspended in various districts of the province, leading to concerns of a nationwide blackout. A street is festooned with posters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on February 4, 2024. Sharif remains widely popular in Pakistan’s Punjab province – the country’s most populous and a key electoral battleground – where his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party has been lauded for advancing mega infrastructural projects. Standing against him is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, seeking to reestablish his Pakistan People’s Party as a major political force.

Persons: languishes, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Nawaz Sharif, ARIF, Volker Türk, ”, Liz Throssell, Imran Khan’s, Khan, Sharif, Nawaz, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Islamic State, Mobile, Foreign, ARIF ALI, AFP, Getty, United Nations, Human Rights, “, Cricket, PTI, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, country’s, Balochistan, Islamic State Pakistan Province, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Punjab

☆ Pakistan's Political Art on Trucks Hurt by Preference for Posters
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Fayaz Aziz and Mushtaq AliPESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Colourful trucks with paintings of political leaders that once dotted Pakistan's roads and highways ahead of elections are missing this poll season, replaced mostly by the printing on posters and banners. Kaleidoscopic murals of flowers, Islamic motifs, calligraphy, snow-capped Himalayan peaks, local mosques and popular figures are renowned examples of Pakistani truck art. Before printing posters became widespread, truck paintings of leaders, particularly in the run-up to elections, were a much sought after campaign medium. The city in Pakistan's northwest is one of the country's major hubs for the art form. Ahmad said painters are now limited to regular truck art, with business also being hurt by rising prices.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Mushtaq Ali, Shakeel Ahmad, Imran Khan's, Imran Khan, Ahmad, Zaffar Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Ali, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sohail Ghuri, Bansari Mayur, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Supreme, Pakistan, YP Locations: Mushtaq Ali PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Peshawar, Pakistan's, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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