(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Khan said that his party now has 10 million members -- most of them young people and women -- and with their help, he can bring about the change that the Pakistani people have been aspiring for so long, The Associated Press reported.
Khan founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI) 15 years ago after retiring from professional cricket.
The ex-cricketer estimated that 40 million young Pakistanis will be voting for the first time in the upcoming elections, out of a registered electorate of 90 million, and they constitute, what he called, "the engine for change."
Khan, however, noted that an "epic battle" lay ahead with the "political class" and parties that have a vested interest in preserving the current "crumbling system" and status quo to stop change.
A survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Global Attitudes Project in June last year showed that Khan was the most popular politician in the country.
Khan’s stance on Washington’s war on terror, which he calls a war of terror, his opposition to the US drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region, and his struggle for the rule of law, justice, equality, and the eradication of corruption have endeared him to the Pakistanis.
On Wednesday, Khursheed Shah, federal minister for religious affairs, said general elections in Pakistan will be held in early May.
/106
