A landslide victory of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate in the NA-19 by-poll should be an eye-opener for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI). The election result shows that the masses have become disillusioned with the politics of the PTI. Since the failure of the dharna (sit-in) staged by the PTI in Islamabad, the party has lost six consecutive by-elections. Despite running hectic election campaigns, the PTI leadership has failed to win the confidence of the masses. In politics, one’s credibility carries utmost importance. The PTI emerged as a new political force in the 2013 general elections. It gave a new hope to the people of bringing a change. The masses were attracted to the PTI’s slogan because they were sick of the existing venal political parties and culture. However, the PTI failed to define ‘change’, which was later restricted to reforming the existing system through accountability and transparency. But the PTI failed to fulfil even these promises. It failed to reform the system and ensure good governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another criterion to judge the working of the PTI was how it performed in parliament. The politics of agitation kept the PTI away from the House that played a role in eroding its credibility. Certain incidents also paved the way for bringing a bad name to the politics of Imran’s party. The PTI always called for negotiations with the militant groups but time and again it proved a futile exercise. The Karachi airport attack ended all hopes of striking a peace deal with the terrorists and led to the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. The coup de grace was administered by the APS Peshawar massacre. Under pressure from public opinion, Imran Khan concluded his months-long sit-in. At this juncture, the PML-N offered a face-saving exit to the PTI by forming a judicial commission (JC). After concluding its inquiry, the JC declared all the allegations of the PTI regarding systematic rigging in the 2013 elections baseless. That proved a big blow to the credibility of the PTI. Moreover, the whole dharna episode became controversial after reports that it had the support and backing of the establishment. These reports put a black mark on the PTI’s politics. All these incidents and the policies of the PTI have disillusioned the general public. There is a marked change in the enthusiasm of PTI’s supporters. The PTI needs to understand that in politics, perception is everything. The recent election results obviously carry a lesson for the PTI that it should reassess its politics. The internal rift within the PTI has made the party’s reform process a difficult task. The old guard in the PTI is being marginalised and in such a situation, introspection seems very difficult. Moreover, the PTI is busy accommodating more and more turncoats from other parties, which prove even more devastating. The PTI is really suffering from a severe credibility crisis and it has to take serious steps otherwise it will have no space in the political arena in the near future except that of an ‘also ran’. *