Imran sees making of ‘Naya Pakistan’ on July 25

After announcement of general elections date, PTI vows to oust the country's 'corrupt' rulers

ISLAMABAD: Hours after the top poll organising authority announced general elections to be held on July 25, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vowed on Sunday to oust 'corrupt' rulers.

The poll will bring to a head political tensions that have been building since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court on corruption charges and later barred from politics for life.

The cricket star-turned-politician is hoping to achieve a years-long dream of leading the country as its prime minister, and his party is the main challenger to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which was headed by Sharif until his ban.

PTI leaders have said they are confident they will be able to defeat the PML-N.

"The Pakistani nation... can see the dawn of a new Pakistan, which will not be ruled by the corrupt," the party said in a statement posted on Sunday on Twitter along with a graphic that read "Mafia's Game Over".

"Stop us if you can," it said in another tweet.

According to another microblogging platform post, the Imran-led party stated that July 25, 2018 will be written in history as the day of the making of Naya Pakistan under the leadership of Imran Khan.

July 25, 2018 will be written in history as the day of the making of Naya Pakistan under the leadership of Imran Khan: A New Dawn!#وزیراعظم_عمران_خان

— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 26, 2018

The bullish comments came after President Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday approved July 25 as the date for the elections, which offer the prospect of what would be only the second-ever democratic transfer of power in the country.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days.

Despite Sharif's disqualification, the ruling party says it has invested in improving the country's rickety infrastructure and attracted billions of dollars in Chinese investment. It has also denied allegations of graft against its leadership by opponents like Imran.



The PTI has reiterated to fight corruption, presenting itself as a polar opposite of what it calls status-quo politicians.

Since he was ousted, Sharif and the PML-N have become increasingly vocal in their confrontation with the establishment and the courts, claiming there is a conspiracy afoot to reduce the party's power.

Sharif was the 15th prime minister in Pakistan's seven-decade history roughly half of it under military rule - to be removed before completing a full term.

The country saw its first ever democratic transfer of power following elections in 2013, which the PML-N won by a landslide.



"This is the second consecutive parliament to complete its tenure and we are now looking forward to... [going] to the people to get their verdict on our performance," Finance Minister Miftah Ismail.

Despite the numerous court rulings against the PML-N, the party has won a string of recent by-elections, proving it will likely remain a powerful force.

It continues to enjoy large swathes of support in Punjab, the most populous province, but will enter the election under increasing pressure.

In April, a Pakistan court disqualified Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for violating election laws, while Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in the arm in a suspected assassination bid earlier this month.

The PML-N supreme leader also sparked a firestorm after suggesting Pakistani militants were behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, approaching what is seen as a red line in the country.