Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Tuesday, the newest twist in what’s extensively seen as a marketing campaign by the navy to sideline certainly one of its main critics from politics.
The sentence, which was delivered in a case by which Mr. Khan is accused of leaking state secrets and techniques, got here a few week earlier than Pakistan is about to go to the polls for the primary nationwide election since he was ousted in a vote of no confidence in April 2022.
Analysts have known as the election among the many least credible in Pakistan’s 76-year historical past due to the navy’s widespread crackdown on Mr. Khan and his supporters.
His ouster set off a political showdown between Mr. Khan and the nation’s highly effective navy, which has lengthy been the invisible hand guiding the nation’s politics. Mr. Khan and his supporters have accused navy leaders of orchestrating his removing — an accusation they deny.
The nation has been embroiled within the political disaster spawned by Mr. Khan’s ouster for a 12 months and a half. As Mr. Khan and his supporters have railed in opposition to the nation’s generals, public anger on the navy has swelled. In May, hundreds of protesters attacked military installations in scenes that had been as soon as unimaginable in Pakistan.
In response, the navy launched a widespread intimidation campaign geared toward weakening Mr. Khan’s political social gathering, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., and curbing the outstanding political comeback he has made whilst he has been jailed and barred from contesting the nationwide election subsequent week.
The decision on Tuesday was handed down by a particular court docket that was established earlier this 12 months and that analysts say is extra deferential to the navy’s needs. Mr. Khan has known as the trial a “fastened match,” suggesting its final result was predetermined, and his social gathering stated it could attraction the decision.
“This 10-year sentence gained’t stand for 10 days earlier than the appellate courts. Such brazen disregard of legislation and structure has by no means been witnessed earlier than,” Taimur Malik, one of many legal professionals for Mr. Khan, said in a post on X, previously often called Twitter.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former overseas minister and shut aide to Mr. Khan, was additionally handed a 10-year sentence on Tuesday in the identical case.
Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad.