Imran Khan has made many promises to Pakistani voters. He has claimed that if the PTI wins the elections he will ensure that all politicians pay their taxes. He reassured Pakistanis that power (the kind that heaters and air-conditioners run on) would be increased using sustainable energy. He also said that once he has power (the kind that politicians run on), he would free Pakistan from the chains of subservience to America. But unfortunately, the Chairman was rather powerless when it came to protecting the chairs at his jalsa in Kasur on December 20th. Images of attendees fighting with each other as they ran away with nearly 25,000 chairs made instant headlines and Twitter was buzzing with jokes at the PTI’s expense. Here are just a few:

@NadeemfParacha: As IK lashed against ‘looters’ in a rally, the attendants run away with the chairs. Black comedy at its best.

@cpyala: Kasur rally shows the importance of proper pronunciation. See what happened when the emcee said “Three chairs for Imran Khan!?”

@needroos:  I must say, #PTI does keep its promise. It unleashed a tsunami, and all the chairs were washed away.

@Karachies: ATTENTION Free Chairs available December 25 — Mazar-e-Quaid Don’t forget to grab yours!! Contact #PTI #Karachi

Imran Khan took this chair-stealing incident in stride and later remarked that in a country with extreme poverty and rising costs, it’s only a matter of time before chairs and tables are stolen right from people’s homes. While it is certainly tempting to make fun of the PTI, the sad truth is that this incident reflects the level of destitution in Pakistan and should serve as an embarrassment for all politicians — not just Imran Khan. The chair-looting incident was a low point but it is probably not going to do much harm to Imran Khan and the PTI’s rising popularity. However, with the Karachi jalsa just a few days away, the Pakistani public patiently awaits to see if the Chairman’s campaign will lead to the PTI winning some seats or to losing even more chairs.