PTI lets go founder Imran Khan as party captain to save 'bat' for elections

Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) replaced Khan as party head and appointed a barrister named Gohar Khan as the party chief on Saturday (Dec 2).

Imran Khan, who remains in prison since August 2023 after conviction in a corruption case, claims that the charges against him have been strategically crafted to prevent him from participating in the upcoming elections. In Pakistan, the military-intelligence nexus, dubbed as establishment, continues to remain the real power behind the semblance of democracy that emerges from Islamabad's Prime Minister's Office.

Khan has suggested that the 'establishment' ousted him at Washington's direction in April 2022, and subsequently ensured his imprisonment in the coming months.

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Khan founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in 1996, four years after he became the South Asian country's only Cricket World Cup winning captain, and one of the most recognisable faces in and beyond Pakistan. 

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Khan's fortunes changed dramatically in 2018 when the PTI emerged as the largest bloc in the National Assembly, catapulting him to the premiership at the purported direction of the 'establishment'. 

His tenure was cut short in April 2022 when a vote of no confidence was orchestrated by a coalition led by long-established parties.

Why change in leadership?

This leadership change came after the Election Commission of Pakistan cautioned the PTI about the potential loss of its symbol – a cricket bat – unless an internal ballot was held within the party. 

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Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in South Asia, with some of Imran Khan's strongholds in the predominantly tribal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province particularly backwards in terms of Human Development Indicators. Voters in these tribal areas identify Khan's party primarily with its 'bat' symbol. Given Khan's acclaimed record as one of the finest cricketers Pakistan has ever produced, his party is identified with the cricket bat across Pakistan. 

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Despite being barred from standing in the party poll due to his imprisonment, Imran Khan continues to be among the most popular leaders in the country.

National elections are scheduled in Pakistan for February. 

(With inputs from agencies)