Polls show Imran Khan's PTI and the jailed Nawaz Sharif's PML-N in a tight race. Bilawal Bhutto's PPP is expected to play kingmaker should neither party win a majority, which is expected
However, the PML-N could reap a sympathy vote after Nawaz Sharif returned to be arrested on July 13 along with his daughter Maryam, leaving his cancer-stricken wife in a London hospital. They deny wrongdoing. Sharif released an audio recording from jail on Monday, urging supporters to send his party back to the government for a second term."Even in this prison ... I can hear the chants of 'give respect to vote' from all directions," Sharif said. In photo: Current PML-N chief and Nawaz Sharif's brother Shehbaz Sharif.
Jibran Nasir, a human rights lawyer, is a rare breed in Pakistan: an avowedly secular, progressive candidate in the overwhelmingly Muslim country of 208 million, where most parties appeal to an Islamic vote bank. Nasir aims to challenge the prevalent extremist discourse. 'Our campaign is bigger than just my win... What it is symbolising for the people is a change in narrative,' he said.