Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister of Pakistan, has nominated Omar Ayub Khan as his candidate for the premiership. Ayub, a senior leader of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is currently wanted by police on criminal charges related to riots sparked by Khan's arrest in May 2023. Despite this, he is legally eligible to run for the position.
The announcement was made by PTI leader Asad Qaiser after meeting Khan in prison. Ayub will face Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), who has been put forward as the coalition candidate with support from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). The vote for prime minister will occur after all newly elected members of the National Assembly are sworn in and the speaker and deputy speaker are elected.
In last week's election, independent candidates backed by PTI won 93 of the 265 contested seats, making them the largest bloc. However, they lack a majority to form a government. The PML-N secured 75 seats, while the PPP won 54. The two parties have formed a coalition, putting them in a strong position to take power.
Ayub, 56, is the grandson of former military dictator Mohamed Ayub Khan, who ruled Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. He has a political history spanning multiple parties, having been elected as a PML-Q candidate in 2002, joining PML-N in 2012, and moving to PTI in 2018. He served as a minister in Khan's cabinet from 2018 until Khan's ouster in April 2022.
If elected, Ayub has stated his top priority would be to free political prisoners. He also vowed not to allow the PTI's mandate to be stolen, accusing electoral authorities of vote fraud—a claim they deny. The PTI alleges that its allies should have won more seats, pointing to irregularities, including a candidate from Jamaat-e-Islami who gave up his seat after claiming the vote was rigged in his favour.
