Pakistan: Former PM Calls for Early Vote After By-Election Victory
The Facts
On Mon., Pakistan's former PM, Imran Khan, called for early elections after his PTI party won 15 of the 20 seats in a vote in the nation's Punjab province. The results saw the PTI succeed over their main opposition, PML-N, in Punjab.
The by-elections were prompted when PTI MPs were disqualified for switching sides in a vote to support current PM Shehbaz Sharif as Punjab's chief minister.
The Spin
Narrative A
The most populous province in Pakistan has spoken - clearly the masses are behind Khan's party. Pakistan wants to change and only free and fair elections will provide a platform for necessary reforms.
Narrative B
Khan is an insensitive man who left his country high and dry before being ousted. He accuses the current government of being "imported" and "unacceptable" but the government has been sensitive to the needs of the people through difficult times.