{
  "id": 17542736,
  "title": "Smoker's corner: The myth of PTI's popularity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/smokers-corner-the-myth-of-ptis-popularity",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T05:45:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2041362/smokers-corner-the-myth-of-ptis-popularity"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, political observers consistently claimed that PTI was the most popular political party in the nation, even among critics and Western media sources. However, this perception has now been questioned. Analysts suggest that this widespread support may have been an instance of \"manufactured popularity,\" which is not based on genuine public sentiment but created through strategic media management and political engineering. This manufactured popularity primarily relies on symbols, media coverage, state support, and exploiting public discontent. In essence, it involves presenting a leader as a flawless savior who can resolve a corrupt past. This type of popularity is built on exaggerated promises and controlled narratives. Once a party with engineered popularity transitions power, the discrepancy between rhetoric and governance threatens to dismantle the illusion. Throughout history, political regimes and movements have faced challenges to their manufactured support when faced with the harsh realities of governance. For instance, Juan Perón's popularity in Argentina in the 1950s was sustained by state subsidies and nationalistic appeals but collapsed due to economic mismanagement. Similarly, the rise and fall of political movements in post-communist Eastern Europe, such as Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's in Bulgaria in the early 2000s, demonstrated how popularity based on outsider status and moral claims could quickly dissolve when faced with administrative failures and economic compromises. Imran Khan's PTI is another example of a party that initially gained popularity through strategic construction. Khan's party's success was cultivated primarily by the military establishment, and it effectively tapped into the grievances of urban middle-class voters frustrated by the corruption of traditional parties. However, this popularity was bolstered by an intricate setup involving intelligence agencies manipulating media narratives, weakening political opponents, and leveraging influential political figures. The party also employed a modern communication strategy, pioneered by PTI, which involved targeted social media campaigns and emotional messaging to portray Khan as an incorruptible reformer who could bring about a \"New Pakistan.\" However, when Khan became the leader in 2018 and attempted to govern a state facing severe economic challenges, the party's idealized claims clashed with the harsh realities of governance. Khan's inability to deliver on his promises led to the erosion of the military's support, resulting in his removal in 2022. This phenomenon highlights a common pattern in politics: media manipulation, emotional appeals, and institutional patronage can create an impression of widespread support, but they cannot transform into actual administrative competence and economic stability. Leaders who ascend to power through manufactured popularity often resort to narratives of victimization or conspiracy when their perceived popularity is tested. Even after Khan's fall, the narrative of his popularity persisted in the media, primarily fueled by PTI's dedicated social media apparatus that shifted the party's messaging from being the bringer of an incorruptible leader to that of a moral victim.",
  "summary": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2040858",
  "key_points": [
    "PTI's popularity questioned as manufactured, not genuine public support",
    "Military establishment and media manipulation fueled initial success",
    "Economic challenges and governance failures eroded popularity and support"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Relying on media manipulation and institutional patronage creates a fragile political foundation that inevitably collapses when the idealized promises of a movement fail to translate into effective economic governance.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}