convicted of corruption
Hard blow for Pakistan’s opposition: Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested shortly before parliamentary elections
Pakistan’s former prime minister and opposition politician Imran Khan (right) after his trial at the Islamabad Supreme Court in July
© Aamir Qureshi / AFP
A power struggle is raging in Pakistan. A few months before the parliamentary elections, the opposition politician and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was convicted of corruption and arrested. A political comeback is therefore unlikely.
Immediately after his conviction in a corruption trial, Pakistan’s opposition leader Imran Khan arrested. Police officers arrested the 70-year-old ex-prime minister at his home in the city of Lahore on Saturday, Khan’s PTI party said. Pakistani television stations reported on the arrest and showed pictures of police columns.
A court had recently sentenced the popular ex-prime minister to three years in prison in absentia in a corruption trial on Saturday. The former cricket star, who has denied the allegations against him, can appeal the verdict. Khan is barred from holding political office for the next five years.
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In the specific case, the opposition leader was accused of having hidden proceeds from the sale of state gifts. Among other things, it was jewelry or a gold-plated AK-47 – gifts from the Gulf States that Khan had received during his time as Prime Minister (2018 to 2022).
A political power struggle is raging in Pakistan
In the nuclear power of Pakistan, with its more than 240 million inhabitants, a power struggle has been raging for more than a year between the family dynasties that are in government and the ousted ex-prime minister. Khan was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in April 2022 and has since faced numerous charges. Many observers see the judiciary’s actions against him as politically motivated.
The ex-prime minister was briefly arrested in May. His followers then stormed military installations. Since then, the 70-year-old has openly criticized the powerful military in numerous interviews. Khan was hoping for a comeback before the general election in the autumn.
Expert Ahmed Bilal Mehboob from the Pakistani think tank Pildat saw the arrest as a severe blow to Khan’s PTI party. “Khan is the star of the campaign,” Mehboob said. Party supporters could turn their backs on Khan and switch camps. “Time will tell how great the damage will be to Khan’s party,” he said.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif only announced on Thursday that Parliament would be dissolved early on August 9th. With the political move, the South Asian country now has a month longer to organize the new elections. According to the constitution, this must now take place within 90 days. With a regular end of the legislative period, it would only be 60 days.
Since Pakistan’s founding more than 75 years ago, the South Asian country sandwiched between India and Afghanistan has been rife with unrest and instability. The military ruled for more than half of that time. And even among civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could decide on the success or failure of political leadership.