The rise, fall and resurrection of Imran Khan

When the Pakistani government censored the media, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party posted campaign videos on TikTok. When police banned his supporters from holding rallies, they organized virtual rallies online.

And when Mr Khan ended up behind bars, his supporters gave speeches using artificial intelligence to simulate his voice.

Mr Khan's message resonated with millions of people across the country frustrated by the economic crisis and the country's old political dynasties: Pakistan has been in decline for decades, he explained, and only he could restore its former restore greatness.

The success of the candidates who aligned themselves with Mr Khan in last week's elections – who won more seats than any other in parliament – was a stunning upset in Pakistani politics. Since Mr Khan fell out with the country's generals and was ousted by parliament in 2022, his supporters have faced a military-led crackdown that experts say was aimed at sidelining the former prime minister.

His success marked the first time in Pakistan's recent history that the political strategy used for decades by the country's powerful military to maintain its grip on power had suddenly veered off course. It also proved how Mr Khan's populist rhetoric and the country's internet-savvy youth are bulging are rewriting politics in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of 240 million that has suffered military coups since its founding 76 years ago.

With the parties of both Mr Khan and Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime minister, rushing to win over other lawmakers and establish a coalition government, Pakistan finds itself in uncharted territory. If Khan's party succeeds – an outcome many analysts say is unlikely – it would be the first time in Pakistan's history that a civilian government has been led by a party at odds with the military and whose leader is behind bars sit.

Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Khan's party “proved itself to be an unwavering political presence, tapping into the discontent of Pakistan's youth,” said Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute, a Washington-based established think tank. “The old playbook for shaping the country's politics is outdated; social media and youth mobilization have become game changers.”

The military has directly ruled the country for about half of Pakistan's history. When civilian governments were allowed to come to power, they were led by a handful of leaders – including Mr Khan's rival in these elections, Mr Sharif – who were usually brought to power with the support of the generals.

These military leaders built political parties around their family dynasties, passing party leadership from one generation to the next – and keeping political power within a tight circle. But in recent years, as the country's young population has risen to about half the electorate, analysts say there has been growing frustration with that system.

Young people felt left out of Pakistan's political system because “someone in the family will always come first,” said Zaigham Khan, a political analyst based in Islamabad. “The old parties are becoming obsolete because they refuse to change – and that created a vacuum for someone like Imran Khan.”

While Mr. Khan initially rose to political prominence with the help of the military, after his ouster he took advantage of young people's desire for change to strengthen his political base independently of the generals. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, produced political campaigns on social media – beyond the reach of state censorship – that young people say brought about a political awakening for their generation.

In viral videos, Mr Khan railed against the country's generals, whom he blamed for his ouster in 2022. He described how the military operated as a “deep state” that controlled politics from behind the scenes, claiming that the United States had done so. colluded with Pakistani officials over his removal from power. He described himself as a reformer who would bring change.

His message mobilized young people across the country.

“I vote for change. I am fed up with this whole system of political parties running the country,” said Usman Saeed, 36, as he stood outside a polling station in Lahore on Thursday after casting his vote for PTI candidates. “They put Imran Khan in jail – that is the main problem – it shows that it is all run by the establishment,” he added, referring to the army.

Few of these voters remembered the discontent over Mr. Khan's final months as president, when his popularity plummeted as inflation soared. If he had been allowed to complete his term, many analysts said, his party would likely not have won the next general election.

But even after his ouster, the country's military leaders seemed to underestimate the country's changing political situation. As Mr. Khan mounted a political comeback, the generals turned to their old playbook to sideline him.

Authorities charged Mr. Khan with dozens of charges that resulted in four separate sentences totaling 34 years in prison. They arrested hundreds of his supporters and – for the first time – cast a much wider net, going after Pakistanis in the country's elite, even those with close ties to the military itself.

That campaign of intimidation only seemed to increase support for Mr. Khan. As the crackdown was widely publicized on social media, it exposed the military's heavy hand in politics and turned more of the public against the military's heavy hand. Many people who voted for Mr Khan's party last week said they did so simply to spite the generals.

Looming over the political struggle to form a new government are widespread accusations that the military tampered with the vote counting and the promises of Mr. Khan from long, painful lawsuits to challenge dozens of results that the military says were manipulated by the military. On Sunday, thousands of Mr Khan's supporters took to the streets across the country to express their anger over allegations of election fraud – protests that were met with police batons and tear gas.

“PTI is a peaceful party that has ushered in a revolution through the vote,” said the party's head in Punjab province, Hammad Azhar. said on the platform known as X. “We will not allow our struggle to be hijacked by nefarious plans.”

The political confrontation has put the country – whose history is littered with military coups and mass unrest – on edge. Most agree that even though the election results show how many Pakistanis reject the country's broken political system, Pakistan is still not moving toward greater stability or a stronger democracy.

“Even if the balance of power tilts in favor of the political parties, will they actually behave democratically?” said Bilal Gilani, the Executive Director of Gallup Pakistan. “Or will they become more fascist in their ideologies? Will they exclude the people who didn't vote for them? That is the question now.”

Zia ur-Rehman reporting contributed.