Costs, crackdown put a damper on Pakistan’s election campaigns

Higher living costs and political uncertainty have muted Pakistan's once boisterous election campaigns, with both candidates and those who supply them with materials bemoaning the need to do more with much less. The Feb. 8 general election, the first since 2018, will take place as Pakistan battles an economic crisis, inflation running at almost 30% and a weak currency while navigating a recovery path under a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. The vote also follows a widespread state-sanctioned crackdown on the Tehreek-e-Insaf party of popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August over a raft of charges, including corruption.