Yesterday, the former prime minister was convicted of leaking state secrets.
Today there was a new verdict against the former prime minister.
This time he has been convicted of corruption, following accusations of the illegal sale of state gifts he is said to have received as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
– This is another sad day in the history of the judiciary, says a spokesman for Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
They also believe that Khan has not been given the opportunity to defend himself against the charges that have been leveled against him.
Bibi, Khan’s wife, is said to have been arrested shortly after the verdict was announced, according to Reuters.
Elections in the country
It is only a week before Pakistan will hold elections.
More than 127 million Pakistanis can vote in this year’s elections.
AFP
Nawaz Sharif, PML(N)
Nawaz Sharif is a familiar name to most Pakistanis, and is one of three candidates that Pakistanis can vote for in this year’s elections.
He is a former prime minister, but had to resign in 2017 following revelations in the Panama Papers document leak.
Sharif has previously been banned from running for life, but the Supreme Court decided to overturn this in January this year.
He heads the conservative centrist party PML(N)
AFP
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the son of former Prime Minister Benezir Bhutto and former President Asif Ali Zardari.
He is the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and is the country’s former foreign minister.
The PPP is a social democratic party, and is the second largest party in the Pakistani Senate.
Zardari has been criticized for not being qualified for the position of leader, with many believing that he has inherited the position.
Reuters
Fazal-ur-Rehman, JUI
Fazal-ur-Rehman heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, often shortened to JUI.
JUI is a conservative Islamist party, and supported the motion of no confidence that removed Imran Khan from power in 2022.
Rehman is perceived as a pro-Taliban candidate and has come out publicly for an international recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government.
Imran Khan is not one of the people Pakistanis can vote for.
In December last year, it was decided that Khan will not be allowed to stand in the election. The decision came a day before the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the provincial and national assembly elections.
– This was a rigged match where the outcome was clear in advance, said Khan about the decision that came yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
The former cricket star was ousted following a motion of no confidence in 2022.
Since then, he has become the focus of nearly 150 trials, including multiple charges of corruption, terrorism and incitement to violence.
The 70-year-old himself claims to be an innocent victim of a political witch hunt staged by former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the government army and the United States. This is rejected by all three.
Supporters of Imran Khan have been disappointed that the former cricket star cannot stand for election.
Photo: AP
Second verdict in two days
On Tuesday, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets, reports Reuters. Khan’s defense attorney then said they do not accept the decision.
The former prime minister came down hard on X after the verdict became known.
– This was a rigged match where the outcome was clear in advance, said Khan.
Khan was voted out of confidence in the National Assembly in April 2022 and is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for corruption.
According to the verdict, he allegedly sold gifts worth more than 140 million rupees, approx. NOK 5 million, which he received when he was prime minister for the four years he ruled the country.
The former cricket star founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in 1996, and is today the largest party in the Pakistani National Assembly.
On Tuesday, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. Today there was a new verdict against the former prime minister.
Photo: AFP
PTI activists arrested before the elections
Around 127 million Pakistanis can vote in the election, and accusations of electoral fraud are numerous. A number of PTI activists have been arrested, and several of the party’s leaders have gone underground ahead of the election.
Khan urges voters to leave their homes on election day.
– You must take revenge for the injustice when you vote on February 8, he wrote on social media after receiving Tuesday’s verdict.
– Tell them that we are not sheep that can be chased with a stick, he wrote.