366: Electorally Ep. 1 | Pakistan: The Winners Who Didn’t Win

On the morning of February 8, 2024, Pakistan went to vote, and the government switched off mobile phone service across the country. Weeks earlier, the Supreme Court had ruled that Imran Khan's party, PTI, could not use its election symbol, a cricket bat. Khan himself was in jail, convicted in three cases in the last ten days before the vote. When the results came in, candidates backed by his party had won more seats than anyone else. They still didn't form the government. Saadia Khan talks with Anas Mallick, an Islamabad-based journalist who covers diplomacy, militancy and conflict. Anas spent years as Pakistan bureau chief for the Indian news channel WION, explaining Pakistan to India every day. He is now Pakistan bureau chief for AsiaOne News and writes for Daily Times. He has interviewed both Imran Khan and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. In this episode: What it's like to report an election when the phones go dead Why Pakistani ballots have pictures, and what it meant to lose the bat Ho...