Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف
Pakistan Movement for Justice
AbbreviationPTI
PresidentParvez Elahi
ChairmanGohar Ali Khan
Secretary-GeneralSalman Akram Raja[1]
SpokespersonSheikh Waqas Akram
Vice ChairmanShah Mahmood Qureshi[2]
Leader in SenateShibli Faraz
Leader in National AssemblyOmar Ayub Khan
FounderImran Khan
Founded25 April 1996
(28 years ago)
 (1996-04-25)
HeadquartersSector G-6/4
Islamabad-44000, ICT
Student wingInsaf Student Federation
Youth wingInsaf Youth Wing[3]
Women's wingInsaf Women Wing
Research WingInsaf Research Wing
Membership (2012)10 million[4]
Ideology
Political positionCentre[15] to centre-right[19]
National affiliationTehreek Tahafuz Ayin[20]
Colors    
SloganChange the system—change Pakistan[21]
Senate
17 / 100
National Assembly
0 / 336
[22]
Punjab Assembly
29 / 371
Sindh Assembly
6 / 168
KPK Assembly
58 / 145
Balochistan Assembly 
0 / 65
GB Assembly
21 / 33
AJK Assembly
31 / 53
Party flag
Website
www.insaf.pk

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; Urdu: پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف, lit.'Pakistan Movement for Justice') is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022.[23] The PTI ranks among 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 a claimed membership of over 10 million in Pakistan, it claims to be one of the country's largest political parties by primary membership.[4]

Despite Khan's popular persona in Pakistan, the PTI had limited initial success:[24] 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. From 1999 to 2007, the PTI supported the military presidency of Pervez Musharraf. It rose in opposition to Musharraf in 2007 and 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 PPP and the centre-right 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 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, due to its outlook on populism.

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 Tabdeeli Arahi Hai (lit.'change is coming'), mobilized people in rallies over public distress on various national issues, the most notable of which was the 2014 Azadi march.[25] 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 at the provincial level and acts as the largest opposition party in Punjab while also having significant representation in Sindh.[26][27]

Officially, the PTI has stated that its focus is on turning Pakistan into a model welfare state espousing Islamic socialism,[6][28] and also on dismantling religious discrimination against Pakistani minorities.[29][8] The PTI terms itself an anti–status quo movement advocating an Islamic democracy centred on egalitarianism.[10][28][30] It claims to be the only non-dynastic party of mainstream Pakistani politics in contrast to parties such as the PPP and PML–N.[31] 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.[32][33][34] However, Khan and the PTI were later praised for leading the country's economic recovery in the pandemic's later stages.[35] 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.[36][37][38]

The party faced a crackdown following the May 9 riots, with arrests, detention and the resignation of party leaders, while the government claimed that this action was a necessary response to the violence, vandalism, and arson allegedly carried out by PTI officeholders and supporters. On 2 December 2023, Gohar Ali Khan was elected unopposed as the Chairman of PTI. Imran Khan nominated him for the position of the new chairman of PTI.[39]

  1. ^ "Salman Akram Raja appointed PTI's new secretary general". Samaa TV. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Why Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi remain in jail despite relief in cipher case?". The News International. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024. ..The PTI founder and the party's vice-chairman were sent..
  3. ^ "Lahore braces for PTI 'tsunami'". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b Malik, Mansoor (31 October 2012). "PTI marks 'Revolution Day'". Dawn. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  5. ^ Waldman, Peter (2 December 1996). "Imran Khan Bowls Them Over With Populist Pakistani Pitch". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "PTI foundation day: PM recalls mission to make country a welfare state". The Express Tribune. 25 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "PTI to protect rights of minorities: Imran". Geo News. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Everyone is equal, state has no religion: Imran Khan". Dunya News. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  9. ^ [7][8]
  10. ^ a b Khan, Sidrah Moiz (27 June 2012). "'Pakistan's creation pointless if it fails to become Islamic welfare state'". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Imran Khan's PTI: The New Face of Liberal Nationalism". Countercurrents.org. 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  12. ^ [7][11]
  13. ^ "PTI govt's vision to turn Pakistan into a welfare state, says PM Imran Khan". Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  14. ^ "An egalitarian society inspired by 'Madina Ki Riyasat'". Tribune.com.pk. 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  15. ^ [13][14]
  16. ^ "Pakistan elections 2018: The major political parties". Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  17. ^ "The Assassination Attempt on Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Could Push Pakistan to the Brink". 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Can Pakistan afford to hold general elections?". Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  19. ^ [16][17][18]
  20. ^ "Pakistan: Opposition alliance launches protest movement against govt in Balochistan's Pishin". ThePrint. 13 April 2024.
  21. ^ "PTI gears up for polls with new slogan". Dawn (newspaper). 13 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  22. ^ "National Assembly of Pakistan: Members". National Assembly of Pakistan. 20 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  23. ^ "The Pathan Suits". 4 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  24. ^ "The End of Ideology". Newsweek Pakistan. 17 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  25. ^ "Ahead of march against Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan bans protest, rallies in Islamabad for two months". Firstpost. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  26. ^ "Voting positions: PTI won more popular votes than PPP". The Express Tribune. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  27. ^ "PTI — the new Left? – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 28 May 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  28. ^ a b Michaelsen, Marcus (27 March 2012). "Pakistan's dream catcher". Qantara.de. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  29. ^ "PTI Ideology". PTI official. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Constitution of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf". PTI official. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  31. ^ Malik, Samia (13 August 2012). "Behind closed doors, PTI has faced intra-party woes". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  32. ^ "Imran Khan has had more failures than successes: Aseefa". The Dawn. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  33. ^ "What is Imran Khan's real problem?". The Economic Times. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  34. ^ Khattak, Daud (21 April 2020). "Are Imran Khan's Days as Pakistan's Prime Minister Numbered?". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  35. ^ "Pakistan beats growth target as industries, services guide V-shaped recovery". 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  36. ^ Aamir, Adnan (15 July 2019). "Pakistan on the brink of civil dictatorship". The Interpreter. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  37. ^ Hussain, Zahid (31 July 2019). "Perils of authoritarianism". The Dawn. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  38. ^ Hussain, Zahid (1 August 2019). "After a year, Imran's PTI is authoritarian, not populist". Asian Age. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Jailed ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan's party elects new head before election". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.