Barrister Dr. Muhammad Ali Saif
In the shadows of an increasingly autocratic political landscape, the population of Pakistan witnesses a dangerous paradox. A political party that is silent across traditional media, relentlessly demonized, legally persecuted and institutional corner is somehow still standing and perhaps even stronger than ever in the Pakistan. This party is Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI). The more it is targeted, the more it grows. The more it is censored, the higher its voice repeats through every corner of this country and even abroad. And the question under the skin of the political mafia and haunting its sponsors is why not people just let go of PTI?
Over the past two years, the scope and intensity of the crash against PTI has exceeded even the darkest chapters of our political history. From midnight raid and enforced the disappearance of mass disqualifications, the party’s defections under coercion, media outbreaks, social media’s throttling and dozens of politically constructed litigation, the message has been high and clear, this party must be deleted at all costs. Still, the public reaction has been just as resolute, not without a fight, not without our vote.
If we examine this unique phenomenon of political resilience by PTI from a sober and analytical lens, it becomes clear that you cannot convince people to start loving the leaders they themselves rejected. In any functional democracy, the media plays the role of a mirror. In Pakistan, the mirror has been crushed. In a desperate attempt to marginalize PTI after overthrowing their elected government, a campaign was initiated to delete PTI and Imran Khan. Mainstream -TV networks were asked to delete Imran Khan’s name, blur his image or pretend that he does not exist. Anchors were taken off the air, Spaltister silent, and editors were called to “Guidance.” The campaign continues to become viscous and reckless with every day that goes.
Communication experts believe that propaganda is only as effective as the public’s willingness to believe it. People listen to what they want to listen. This has been the first error in the state’s strategy, ie. You cannot convince a population to hate the leader they themselves chose, defended and trusted, especially when the alternative is filled with incompetence and corruption. After the exhaust of Imran Khan of the government, he was replaced with an alliance with almost 12 opposition parties. When inflation was spiked, governance collapsed and the public lost hope in the alliance, the tailor -made media narrative began to collapse under its own weight. Instead of staining PTI transformed the censorship party into a symbol of resistance.
Another key variable that was drastically underestimated was the Internet. The architects of this oppression did not expect the emergence of digital resistance. When a screen got dark, thousands of phones lit up. YouTube, Tiktok, X (Twitter) and Instagram became the new battlefield, and the people appeared in large numbers. No big studios, no funding, no instructions, just young men and women, volunteers at home, students, overseas Pakistanis, all adding their voice. Each tells the truth. Each refuses to accept silence.
Despite attempts to smash the Internet and arrest online activists, this digital resistance lives on. And through that, PTI remained associated with the people immediately, honest and unfiltered.
Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of PTI’s resilience is that its supporters not only see it as a political party. They see it as a moral matter. In their view, this is not a struggle for power, it is a struggle for dignity, justice and national independence.
Imran Khan’s political narrative, whether you agree or not, are many Pakistanis. The story that the Pakistani citizen is not the subject of dynastic families or foreign dictations, but a stakeholder in the future of this country. This idea especially hit deep in youth, middle class and professionals. These segments were historically released from politics, but are now fully activated.
This moral dimension, ie The belief that PTI stands for the truth against tyranny is what makes it unreasonable, even in the light of brutal oppression. Purge, Inquisitions, Arrests, Prohibitions, and Defamation Campaigns only validate their belief that the system is corrupt and the fight is fair.
Nowhere is this political loyalty more visible than in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI has controlled with consistency and transparency for over a decade. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s political relationship with PTI is one of confidence. Even in the light of federal neglect, financial suffocation and security threats, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demonstrated during PTI better service delivery, cleaner administration, stronger anti -corruption measures and more responsive leadership. In tribal districts built FM Radio Network, public outreach programs and development efforts a bond of trust with communities that had long been ignored by the state.
When the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population re-elected PTI with a landslide in the 2024 provincial elections, despite all odds and with zero establishment support, it was a message to the rest of Pakistan, “This is not about propaganda. We have seen results. We have lived during your governance. And we choose PTI again.”
Authoritarian strategies often fail not because they are weak, but because they are blind to human psychology. When the state reserves for visible injustice, ie Paradingly handcuffed leaders, pulling women into courts and relaxing terrorism for tweets, it can dampen some, but it radicalizes others.
The crash after 9. Can only be elaborated between the ruler and controlled. Instead of crushing PTI, gave birth to the question that radicalized people’s thinking and gave rise to a basic question: Is this a criminal criminal or a penalty to challenge the status quo? The answer for most Pakistanis has become crystal clear. Attempts to feel a whole political party as Anti-Pakistan has beaten back. It has revealed interests in control rather than constitutionality.
Currently, Pakistan is at a critical time. The institutions intended to protect democracy are used to manipulate it. The courts are struggling between conscience and coercion. The media is injured. The economy is crumbling. And people’s voice suffocates.
But in this darkness, PTI’s continued popularity is not just a reality, it is a beacon for hope. It proves that the Pakistanis are neither ignorant nor indifferent. That despite censorship, financial pain, disillusionment and inquisitions, they are aware and they remember Imran Khan’s financial performance. They remember the dignity of a leader who refused NROs who returned the IMF money with honor that spoke for national sovereignty on global platforms. And most importantly, they remember what betrayal looks and who orchestrated it.
What PTI represents today is more than a party. It is an idea whose time has come and ideas do not disappear with a TV ban or litigation. You can prison leaders, you can confiscate properties, you can censor speeches, but you cannot jail an awareness that has already been awakened.
