First session of Pakistan’s newly elected Parliament, MPs took oath of office, Imran Khan’s posters seen

Lawmakers were sworn in during the first meeting of Pakistan’s new parliament, three weeks after an election marred by widespread allegations of rigging. Voting was held in Pakistan on 8 February. Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan was banned from contesting elections. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was targeted by a campaign of arrests and censorship. Despite Khan’s supporters fighting hard to win more seats than any other party, the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) coalition government is set to oust him from power. Pakistan’s newly elected parliament took oath amid allegations of election rigging. MPs have started arriving in the 336-seat National Assembly in Islamabad. As soon as the session started, PTI supporters raised slogans with posters of Imran Khan. He said that only Imran can save Pakistan.

PTI acting chief Gohar Ali Khan, upon arriving to take the oath, told reporters that Parliament is a sacred place in a democracy. Those who do not have public trust and who do not have mandate should not sit here. When Gohar signed the register of MPs, he waved a poster that read, “Release Imran Khan”, but the moment was lost from the state TV broadcast due to camera cuts. Sharif family’s PML-N former The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), run by the dynasty of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, along with several smaller factions, has agreed to govern.

In return, the PPP has been promised the presidency of Asif Ali Zardari, his grandfather and Bhutto’s widower. Cabinet posts are yet to be announced. Analysts consider the broader alliance an unsustainable venture given the economic and security crises plaguing the country of more than 240 million. Monitors have also warned that the PML-N alliance may face a perceived lack of legitimacy by parts of the public who doubt whether their votes were counted.