As one of the leading candidates in Pakistan's upcoming election serves jail time, the country prepares for a pivotal vote.

On Thursday, Pakistan will hold elections with one of the top contenders in jail, and some sources suggest that voter excitement is low among the country's nearly 128 million voters.

Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Pakistani Prime Minister, has been barred from contesting the national parliamentary elections. Khan was removed as the country's 22nd prime minister following a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The former cricketer-turned-politician is currently serving more than 30 years in jail. Three out of Khan's four sentences were delivered last week. Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023.

The current election cycle in Pakistan has been marked by violence and harassment, leading to a lack of confidence in the honesty of the elections among Pakistanis, as revealed by a recent Gallup poll.

In the upcoming election, 44 political parties will vie for control of the 266 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, with the winner ultimately deciding who will serve as the country's next prime minister.

Although many surveys show Khan as the preferred leader, it is predicted that three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will regain power. Like Khan, Sharif is no stranger to the military establishment's hostility and legal issues, which prematurely ended his previous three terms as prime minister. Sharif, 74, had his last term as prime minister cut short in 2017 due to corruption allegations.

Politician Khan has been known to advocate for liberal ideas while catering to Islamic principles and sentiments. During his tenure, Pakistan witnessed a surge in Islamist militancy and the fortification of positions held by religious radicals.

In 2022, Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) seized power in the country with his brother as leader, despite Sharif being in exile abroad to avoid imprisonment.

The PML-N has focused its campaign on Pakistan's severe financial predicament. The country faced the risk of default in June and is grappling with increasing poverty rates. The IMF has cautioned about persistent inflation of approximately 24% this year.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a third major party and ally of PML-N, is unlikely to secure the premiership, but PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari may still be a part of a coalition government under Sharif.

According to Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a former cabinet member and adviser to Khan, Khan is involved in over 190 cases. Bukhari claims that all charges against Khan are politically motivated to prevent him from running in the election. Khan's PTI party alleges a coordinated effort to prevent their participation in the elections. "Draconian" measures against the party include arrests, home raids, and internet disruptions and freezes, Bukhari said.

Numerous detentions and heavy-handed tactics have forced PTI leaders to abandon the party, as the United Nation’s leading human rights body recently warned of a "pattern of harassment" against members of Khan’s party.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Office's spokesperson has urged Pakistani authorities to conduct a free and fair election. To ensure this standard is maintained, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that there will be 92 international election observers, including European Union members and several foreign embassies.

Despite denials from both the military and Pakistan's caretaker government, the PTI has continued to complain about being marginalized and muzzled. However, the party has persisted in its efforts, even utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in its strategy.

The PTI party has heavily relied on social media, with its Instagram, X, and TikTok accounts boasting several million followers, outpacing Pakistan's two other main parties combined. The party has utilized generative AI to create Khan-approved content, with Khan's preliminary AI-generated speech debuting at a first-ever virtual rally.

Bukhari stated that the PTI's strategic use of social media has been successful in winning support. The party has also conducted covert canvassing operations to avoid crackdowns. Despite facing adversity, the PTI remains hopeful for an easy win, as Bukhari shared with Planet Chronicle Digital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.