A relentless crackdown widely attributed to Pakistan's powerful military has seen him and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI) party almost erased from the election campaign ahead of the vote. Across the country, PTI has been obstructed from holding rallies, and the heavily censored media is restricted in its coverage of the opposition, pushing the party's campaign almost entirely online. "It feels disheartening that, as a candidate of Pakistan's leading political party, I am unable to conduct my campaign in a meaningful way," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Khan "is still popular with the public, but he is unacceptable" to the army, retired schoolteacher Ijaz Khan said. Khan's rival in Mianwali, Obaid Ullah Khan, is indifferent to the punishment meted out to his rival political party.
