Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been jailed for three years in a corruption case, dealing a new blow to his political career.
Pakistan’s main opposition leader Imran Khan is facing a long legal battle to save his political career ahead of national elections expected later this year, according to Reuters.
There are several important questions about this legal battle, the answer of which may decide the political future of Imran Khan.
Is Imran Khan’s political career over?
According to the law, after such a conviction a person is disqualified from holding any public office. The period of disqualification will be decided by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Legally the period of disqualification can be a maximum of five years starting from the date of conviction but the Supreme Court can impose a lifetime ban if it decides that he was guilty of dishonesty and therefore They do not fulfill the constitutional requirement of ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Amin’ for public office.
Such a decision was given in 2018 against three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
In either case, Imran Khan is facing an exit from the next general elections in November.
Imran Khan alleges that military officials are behind his dismissal and the crackdown against him and his party. However, the Pakistan Army denies this.
Pakistan’s political history has examples of leaders who went to jail and became more popular after release.
Both Nawaz Sharif and his brother, current prime minister Shahbaz Sharif, spent time in jail on corruption charges before returning to power.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari has also gone to jail.
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan protest for the release of PTI workers in Karachi on March 19, 2023 (AFP)
What are the legal avenues for Imran Khan?
Imran Khan’s lawyers will challenge his sentence in higher courts and he has two stages of appeal before the Supreme Court. They may get some relief if the sentence is suspended.
If the sentence is suspended, Imran Khan may still be eligible to contest the next elections.
The decision to convict Imran Khan has been criticized by bar associations who say the decision was rushed and he was not allowed to present his witnesses.
But the sentencing court has said that the witnesses presented by Imran Khan’s legal team have nothing to do with the case. After Imran Khan refused to appear in court for several months despite repeated summons, the court accelerated the hearing of the case.
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However, the Tosha Khana case is only one of more than 150 cases framed against him. Among the more than 150 cases, there are two major cases in which significant progress has been made
He faces charges of land fraud and inciting attacks on military installations after his arrest in May. He is likely to be moved from one court to another as he is serving a three-year prison sentence.
What will happen to Imran Khan’s party?
After Imran Khan went to jail, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is now led by former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The party is already in dire straits with the departure of several key leaders following the May 9 violence and subsequent crackdown, and some leaders and hundreds of activists are still under arrest.
Although Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf is popular, according to surveys, it is mostly because of Imran Khan’s caste. Shah Mehmood Qureshi does not have such a personal following and analysts say he will be unable to demonstrate the organizational skills of the cricket hero.
Even after being banned from appearing on television, Imran Khan kept in touch with his supporters through various social media forums like Tik Tok, Instagram, X and especially YouTube through almost daily YouTube speeches, but now he will not be able to do so. .
Analysts say that if his party wins the elections, he may return to power.