Pakistan’s disillusioned voters wonder if new polls will change a country mired in political feuding

By RIAZAT BUTT
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan is holding parliamentary elections this week but many voters are disillusioned and wonder if the balloting can bring any real change in a country mired in economic crisis and a resurgent militancy. The new parliament will choose the country’s next prime minister but in today’s political landscape there is really only one top contender for prime minister — Nawaz Sharif, a three-times former premier who has returned to the country and been absolved of past convictions. His arch-rival Imran Khan is behind bars and banned from contesting the vote. It’s the intensity of Khan’s downfall and the ease of Sharif’s return that make the Feb. 8 election look more like a sure bet.