PTI’s Elite Capture: How Imran Khan’s Inner Circle Exploits Pakistan’s Poor

For years, Pakistan has been told that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was the voice of the dispossessed, the party of “change” standing against dynasties and elites. Yet, time and again, the mask slips. The arrests of Aleema Khan’s sons, Shahrez and Shershah in connection with the May 9 riots have made one thing abundantly clear: PTI is not the nemesis of elite capture. It is one of its most brazen examples.

Consider the contrast. Since the violent events of May 9, 2023, thousands of ordinary PTI workers, drivers, clerks, students have been rotting in jails due to illegal and unlawful acts. Families destroyed, livelihoods lost, and for over two years, PTI’s leadership barely flinched. Yet, the moment the law finally reached into Imran Khan’s immediate circle, the nephews, the privileged sons of Aleema Khan, the narrative flipped overnight. Suddenly, the sky was falling, “the world is turning upside down,” and PTI’s propaganda machinery rushed to reframe accountability as persecution. The hypocrisy could not be clearer: the poor are dispensable, but the elite must be untouchable.

This duplicity is visible far beyond the courtroom. Take Shahrez Khan’s position on the Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT). On paper, SKMT is Pakistan’s proudest philanthropic institution, built by public donations, serving the poorest cancer patients. But what exactly qualifies Shahrez for this powerful governance seat?

The contradictions don’t end there. Shahrez Khan sits on the Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT), Pakistan’s premier cancer hospital built on the sweat and sacrifice of ordinary donors. The hospital itself is a national asset, but the optics are troubling. What exactly qualifies the nephew of Imran Khan to steer governance of a multi-billion-rupee health institution? Board positions in such institutions demand seasoned oversight, finance experts, oncologists, governance professionals. Instead, family adjacency seems enough. This is the textbook definition of elite capture: power, position, and prestige without accountability.

Meanwhile, PTI’s record speaks for itself. From the Election Commission’s prohibited funding verdict, which exposed how foreign and undeclared money fueled the party, to the Toshakhana and Al-Qadir cases that revealed murky dealings at the very top, PTI has consistently dodged transparency. Courtroom delays, adjournments, and public outrage have been its tools, not accountability.

Then there is May 9. Let’s not sugarcoat it: attacks on military and state installations crossed every red line in any democratic state.  Despite attempts to cause billions in losses, threaten national security, and undermine the rule of law through mob violence, Pakistan’s resilience and commitment to stability continue to prevail. PTI’s leadership may want to spin it as protest, but Pakistan cannot afford “politics by arson.” When ordinary workers are jailed and leaders’ families cry foul only when their own are touched, we see exactly how elite capture works.

Pakistan is tired of the hypocrisy. PTI rode to power claiming it would end dynasties and patronage. Instead, it built its own dynasty, its own patronage, and its own circle of untouchables.  The state acts not out of malice, but out of responsibility. By applying the law equally, it preserves public trust, protects national institutions, and ensures that justice serves everyone, not just the powerful.