Kemenangan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf pada pemilihan umum Pakistan 2018 menjadi fenomena tersendiri dalam kontestasi politik di Pakistan. Partai yang dipimpin oleh Imran Khan ini berhasil secara cukup signifikan mengalahkan kekuatan-kekuatan partai politik lama yang telah bergantian memimpin parlemen Pakistan, seperti Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz dan Pakistan People’s Party. Dalam hal ini, penggunaan narasi populisme menjadi senjata utama bagi Imran Khan dan partainya dalam menyaingi partai-partai lama tersebut. Narasi dikotomis antara identitas kelompok elit korup dengan the people yang menginginkan perubahan, serta retorika anti Barat dan islamisme yang kuat, merupakan ciri khas dalam strategi politik Imran Khan yang pada tahun 2018 berhasil menjadi Perdana Menteri Pakistan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis strategi komunikasi dan sikap populis Imran Khan dalam kemenangan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf pada pemilihan umum Pakistan 2018. Dengan melakukan studi literatur melalui metode kualitatif, tulisan ini menyimpulkan bahwa strategi komunikasi dan sikap populis lewat konstituen kedaulatan the people, people-centrism, dan anti elitisme yang digunakan oleh Imran Khan berhasil dalam memenangkan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf pada pemilihan umum Pakistan 2018.

---

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s victory in the 2018 Pakistan general election has become a phenomenon in Pakistan’s political contest. The party led by Imran Khan has succeeded

in significantly defeating the forces of the old political parties which have taken turns leading the Pakistan parliament, such as the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party. In this case, the use of populism narratives is the main weapon for Imran Khan and his party in competing with these old parties. The dichotomous narrative between the corrupt elite groups and people who want change, as well as strong anti-Western rhetoric and islamism, are the characteristics of Imran Khan’s

political strategy, which in 2018 succeeded in becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan. This study aims to analyze Imran Khan’s populist communication and attitude strategy in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s victory in the 2018 Pakistan general election. By conducting a literature study through qualitative methods, this paper concluded that the populist communication and attitude strategy through the constituents of the people’s sovereignty, people-centrism, and anti-elitism used by Imran Khan was successful in winning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf at the 2018 Pakistan general election.