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☆ Women are playing key roles in protests across South Asia. The backlash they face is often heavily gendered
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( Jerome Taylor | Esha Mitra | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The event was part of a wave of increasing participation and leadership from women in protests across South Asia, activists and organizers say. But just as notable is a gendered backlash to that wave, involving tactics seemingly intended to subdue female dissent. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty ImagesBangladeshi women protesters hold candles during a protest against rape in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 17, 2024. Nazifa JannatIn Bangladesh, women deal with daily harassment, says Nazifa Jannat, a student and political activist. According to student-protester Jannat, while women have previously participated in protests in Bangladesh, this time many women, including her, played a leadership role.

Persons: ” Meghamala Ghosh, It’s, it’s, ’ ”, leering, Ghosh, Meghamala Ghosh, ” Heather Barr, Dibyangshu Sarkar, Zabed Hasnain Chowdhury, afflict women’s, Nazifa Jannat, Nazifa, Deanne, Sammi Deen Baloch, Baloch, ”, Barr, Mola Bakshsh, ” Akbar Nasir Khan, “, ” Baloch, Uyangoda, Imran Khan, Sabir Mazhar, Khadijah Shah, Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah, ” Shah, ” Barr, Sheikh Hasina's, K M Asad, Sheikh Hasina, Jannat, ” Jannat, ” Uyangoda, ” Ghosh, they’re Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN —, Human, Getty, Defenders, Human Rights, Baloch, CNN, Interior Ministry, Former, Anadolu Agency, Dhaka University Locations: New Delhi, West Bengal, South Asia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kolkata, AFP, Dhaka, Afghanistan, Kabul, Nazifa Jannat, ”, Asia Pacific, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Faisal, Karachi

☆ Supporters of Pakistan’s Imran Khan call off protest, local media says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party suspended street protests demanding his release from jail after a sweeping midnight raid by security forces in the capital, Islamabad, in which hundreds of people were arrested, local media reported Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, city workers were cleaning up debris and clearing some of the shipping containers that had blocked roads around the capital. PTI had planned on staging a sit-in in the red zone until the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year. PTI’s president for the city of Peshawar in the party’s northern stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said the party had called off the protest. He said that Bushra Bibi as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a key Khan ally, had returned “safely” to the province from the capital.

Persons: Imran Khan’s, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Khan, ” Mohammad Asim, Ali Amin Gandapur, “ Organizations: Former Pakistani, Geo, PTI, Geo News, Reuters Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Islamabad, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

☆ Protesters Supporting Pakistani Ex-Leader Are Dispersed in Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-27 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four civilians were reported to have been killed by gunfire in the unrest, according to local media reports. Thousands of protesters, led by Bushra Bibi, Mr. Khan’s wife, had gathered in the capital since Monday night. They vowed to stage a sit-in at a major town square near important government buildings, demanding Mr. Khan’s release. Since then, he has accused the powerful military of orchestrating his removal and has led a protest campaign to reclaim power through public rallies. Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed victory in the elections and accuses the current civilian government of being a puppet of the military.

Persons: Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Khan’s Locations: Pakistan, Islamabad

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Four members of Pakistan’s security services were killed as thousands of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's supporters broke through government barricades and clashed with law enforcement in the country's capital Islamabad Tuesday. It is extremism,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a separate statement issued by his office. The protests were sparked by demands for Khan’s release from jail and the resignation of the federal government over what they call rigged general elections this year. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said Khan’s party rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Authorities say that only the courts can order Khan's release, who was ousted from government in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Persons: Imran Khan's, Shehbaz Sharif, Farooq Khan, ”, Khan, Imran Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Bibi, Muhammad Reza, AAMIR QURESHI, Mohsin Naqvi, Khan’s, Mushtaq Yusufzai, Freddie Clayton Organizations: Pakistan —, Islamabad Tuesday, ”, Authorities, NBC News, Shipping, PTI, Anadolu, Getty, AFP, . Locations: PESHAWAR, Pakistan, country's, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khan, Peshawar, London

☆ Imran Khan supporter protests: Why Pakistan’s capital is on lockdown, with internet shutdowns and thousands marching
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-26 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan broke through barricades around the capital Tuesday and marched into Islamabad, clashing with security forces and demanding his release. The latest protests came as Islamabad bolstered security for an official visit by Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who arrived in the capital on Monday for three days of talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Policemen fire tear gas shells to disperse supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party during a protest to demand the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad on November 26. In recent days, thousands of Khan supporters have been arrested in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as authorities tried to prevent the protest march. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's supporters shout slogans as they protest to demand the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, in Hasan Abdal, on November 25.

Persons: Pakistan’s, Imran Khan, Khan, Mohsin Naqvi, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Shehbaz Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Naqvi, Hasan, Imran Khan's, ” Naqvi, “, ”, Kamran Bangash, party's, Hasan Abdal, ” Khan, Sharif, – Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Pakistan’s, Pakistan, Getty, Protesters, Reuters, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Paramilitary, “ Rangers, PTI Locations: Islamabad, Belarus, Pakistan, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, –, Punjab province, Hasan Abdal, Imran Khan's Pakistan, Punjab, Rawalpindi, Hasan

☆ Pakistan violence: Imran Khan supporters march on Islamabad, clash with police after sectarian clashes
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-25 | by ( Mushtaq Yusufzai | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The capital of Pakistan was locked down Monday as supporters of jailed former leader Imran Khan marched on the city to demand his release. It is the latest upheaval to hit this nuclear-armed United States ally after days of deadly clashes between rival sectarian groups. Supporters of Imran Khan during a rally in Swabi on Sunday. “We will not return till our leader Imran Khan is released from prison,” senior PTI politician Shaukat Ali Yousafzai told NBC News, adding that police had been using tear gas, causing injuries to some PTI supporters. Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty ImagesSupporters of Khan also gathered to demand his release in Swabi, northwestern Pakistan on Sunday.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan, That’s, Abdul Majeed, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, ”, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Uzma Bukhari, Alexander Lukashenko, Pakistan's, Aamir Qureshi, Jamal Khan, Mohammad Ali Saif, ” Saif Organizations: Getty, PTI, NBC News, AFP, Associated Press Locations: PESHAWAR, Pakistan, United States, Islamabad, Swabi, Punjab, Peshawar

☆ Pakistani police fire tear gas as thousands supporting Imran Khan arrive near capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The firing of tear gas came shortly after demonstrators — who traveled 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the restive northwest — began arriving and gathering near Islamabad. They defied a lockdown, previous tear gas and widespread arrests despite a ban on rallies in the city. The government was in talks with Khan’s party to avoid any further violence, officials said. Video on social media showed Khan supporters donning gas masks and protective goggles. Protesters on Sunday night burned trees as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Persons: Imran Khan, —, Khan’s, Alexander Lukashenko, Shehbaz Sharif, Mohsin Naqvi, Khan, Aamir Qureshi, Kamran Bangash, “, Bangash, Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sharif, Attaullah Tarar, Naqvi Organizations: Islamabad AP, Pakistani, Authorities, Getty, Security, PTI, Associated Press, Protesters Locations: Islamabad, —, Pakistan, Punjab province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

“In this time, it’s extremely important that we bring the voices of Afghan women forward,” Yousafzai said in a Zoom interview with NBC News. (The militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a separate organization from the Taliban in Afghanistan, but a close ally.) “The Taliban are attempting to make women invisible, in a way,” said Yousafzai, who graduated from Oxford University in 2020. Mani, who also serves as a producer, said she was working on a different documentary in Afghanistan when the Taliban takeover happened. “We need women’s demands and rights to be on the agenda where the future of Afghanistan is being discussed and decided.

Persons: ’ eduction, ”, Sahra Mani, Sharifa Mowahedzada, Zahra Mohammadi, Taranom Seyedi, ” Yousafzai, “, Yousafzai, Malala, Bryan Bedder, Laden, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Mani, Jennifer Lawrence, Lawrence, Justine Ciarrocchi, ” Lawrence, coldheartedness, ” Mowahedzada, Zabihullah Mujahid, ” Fereshta Abbasi Organizations: Apple, NBC News, Oxford University, Al, U.S, United, Associated Press, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights, Malala Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Swat, Taliban Pakistan, American, Al Qaeda, United Nations, Qatar, Western

☆ Pakistan Says It Will Ban Party of Jailed Former Leader Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan’s government plans to ban the party of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials said on Monday, a decision expected to exacerbate the political turmoil that has consumed the country for the past two years. The country’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the government was moving to outlaw Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., after actions that had posed “a direct threat to the fabric of our nation.”But analysts said the decision — which few expect to be upheld in court — reflected growing desperation by the Pakistani government. It has struggled to assert its authority after an election this year in which the country’s powerful military was accused of rigging dozens of races against the broadly popular P.T.I. “If pushed through, it will achieve nothing more than deeper polarization and the strong likelihood of political chaos and violence,” Asad Iqbal Butt, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said in a statement.

Persons: Imran Khan, Attaullah Tarar, —, ” Asad Iqbal Butt Organizations: Human Rights Locations: Pakistan

☆ A man tried to set up Pakistan's first gay club. He was put in a mental hospital.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA man who tried to establish Pakistan's first gay club was detained in a mental hospital by local authorities, according to The Telegraph. The Telegraph reported that the application for the proposed club said it was going to be called "Lorenzo gay club," and there would be "no gay (or non-gay) sex (other than kissing"). His friends told The Telegraph that they had been barred from visiting him, and were concerned for his safety. AdvertisementBefore being detained, the applicant told the newspaper: "I talk about human rights, and I want everyone's human rights to be defended." He also told the newspaper that if authorities refused the application, he would take it to court.

Persons: —, Osama bin, Laden, Lorenzo Organizations: Service, The Telegraph, Business, Telegraph, Awami, British, Sarhad, Psychiatric Locations: Abbottabad, Pakistan, Peshawar

☆ Shehbaz Sharif: Pakistani legislators elect new prime minister to head coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Islamabad CNN —Pakistani legislators on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister nearly a month after a general election marred by delays and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. The official results from the February 8 poll had independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party securing the most seats in parliament, with 102. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PMLN), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is also the older brother of Shehbaz Sharif, came in second with 73 seats, and their long-term rivals the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 54 seats. Shehbaz Sharif will become prime minister for the second time, leading a coalition government with the PMLN. Following the vote in the lower house of parliament, opposition party members began chanting at Sharif as he addressed parliamentarians, calling him a thief.

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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 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

☆ Analysis: At this general election in Pakistan, old dynasties vie for power and populist Imran Khan languishes in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

That sets the stage for a difficult road to recovery for whoever wins in a nation where no democratically elected prime minister has ever completed a full term in office. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a lawyers' convention in Lahore on September 21, 2022. Veteran Sharif will face a strong challenge, however, from first-time candidate for Prime Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 35, son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto. Manahil Ahmed, 23, called Pakistan’s political environment “particularly hostile” right now. For Pakistan’s military and police forces, the last year was the bloodiest in a decade.

Persons: Imran Khan, –, Arif Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Khan –, Khan, Fareed Khan, ”, Rabiya Arooj, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan's, Asad Zaidi, Pakistan’s, Farzana Shaikh, “, ’, Murtaza Solang, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, he’s, Raja Ikram, Ameer Hamza, Manahil Ahmed, Shaikh, Hussain Nadim, Maurice R, Greenberg, ‘, Aamir Qureshi, Shoaib Tanveer, Baou Nadeem, ” Shaikh, Farooq Naeem, “ Sharif, He’s, Tim Willasey Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Getty, PTI, World Bank, Pakistan, Bloomberg, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, CNN, for Research, Security Studies, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Baloch Liberation Army, Yale University, Pakistan Army –, Workers, King’s College London Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Lahore, AFP, Karachi, “, Rawalpindi, Asia, Hafizabad, Khan’s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, India, Afghanistan, Iran, State Khorasan, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Punjab, Sharif, States, China, British

☆ Many Pakistanis Make a Perilous Journey to Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

With tens of thousands displaced from the tribal regions, most candidates vying to represent constituencies there have campaigned in other cities such as Dera Ismail Khan. "Due to the war, people's houses were destroyed," Moulana Jamal Uddin, a candidate from South Waziristan, told Reuters by phone. "I appeal to the people of South Waziristan to vote," he said. Khan Ullah, a 42-year-old shop owner, said he has avoided political gatherings in Dera Ismail Khan because he feared an attack on them was a real possibility. (Reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan; writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Persons: Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL, Ullah Mehsud, Mehsud, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan's, Amjad Khan, Khan, hometowns, Maulana Raheem Ullah, Moulana Jamal Uddin, Khan Ullah, Saud Mehsud, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Pakhtunkhwa, Pak Institute, Peace Studies, Force Locations: Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, South Waziristan, Qaeda, U.S, Afghanistan, Waziristan, Khyber, Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan, KP, Karachi

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Key Players in Pakistan's General Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan holds its national elections on Thursday as the country grapples with an economic crisis and political uncertainty following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Here are some facts about the main political figures trying to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people. NAWAZ SHARIFFormer prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered a front-runner to lead the country, having buried a long-running feud with the country's powerful military, analysts say. Maryam, 50, was jailed along with her father shortly before the 2018 elections on corruption charges, which were later overturned. Nevertheless, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has tried to wage an unorthodox election campaign using social media and covert canvassing.

Persons: Imran Khan, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz, Maryam, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, Shehbaz Sharif, IMRAN KHAN, BILAWAL BHUTTO ZARDARI Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, International Monetary Fund, Khan's Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Punjab, Pakistan's, Khan's Pakistan, Sindh province

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