As election campaign ends in Pakistan, many lament Imran Khan’s absence
Al Jazeera
Little excitement in Pakistan’s second-largest city as campaigning for vote, tainted by the ex-PM’s imprisonment, ends.
Lahore, Pakistan – Shayan Bhatti is among hundreds of people praying inside the shrine of Ali al-Hajveri in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city and the capital of the country’s politically crucial Punjab province.
Dressed in a white shalwar kameez with a black shawl over his shoulder, Bhatti was at the shrine not only to pray for the wellbeing of his family but also for Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan who is in prison since August last year.
“He is my leader and he has been unfairly jailed. His wife and his party people have also been jailed unfairly. I prayed for his success, for his freedom, and for justice,” the 62-year-old told Al Jazeera.
Al-Hajveri, more famously known as Data Ganj Baksh, is Lahore’s patron saint. His shrine, Daata Darbar, is among the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia. Hundreds of thousands visit the shrine every year, seeking solace in prayers, and asking for forgiveness and prosperity.
