British-Pakistanis catch election fever

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If Pakistan’s prime minister was to be decided by UK’s Pakistani-born population, PTI chief Imran Khan would have been in PM House long ago.

The election bustle is not a norm in Britain where even polling day is just another weekday. Voters benefit from the extended polling hours to cast their votes either before leaving for work or go to the polling stations in the evening.

The election campaign is also a quiet affair here with no public meetings at local or national level even during the run-up to polling day. Leaders of the political parties clash in TV debates to put their policies and campaign messages across while the candidates participate in the low-key hustings that take place in churches and community centres to debate the local issues.

But it is different when it comes to Pakistani diaspora living on this island and you can see glimpses of Pakistan-style electioneering in local council elections in Birmingham, Bradford and parts of Manchester and other areas with substantial Pakistani-origin population.

Read more about how the Pakistani diaspora is supporting Pakistan's main political parties here.

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