As it happens, he was found guilty and sentenced in two cases just days before the much-delayed election that is now set for February 8: a 10-year prison sentence for disclosing a diplomatic communication from Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, along with former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi; and a 14-year sentence, along with his wife, for selling gifts he had received while in office without notifying the government, a case known as the “toshkhana.”
Although the specifics vary, Nawaz Sharif, his primary rival in politics, was likewise removed from power two years prior to the 2018 election, imprisoned, and permanently disqualified. Khan emerged as the Army’s “selected” PM candidate and won that election, making him the main beneficiary at that time.
Source: The Print
The current state of affairs is a textbook illustration of history repeating itself. Now the “selected” one is Nawaz Sharif, who was toppled in a coup in 1999 after falling out with the Army since the 1990s. As a result, Sharif is set to take office as prime minister for the fourth time after the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned his lifetime ban last month. The task of stabilising Pakistan’s economy and managing the Army will now fall to him.
An elected administration does not get a free pass to do as it pleases just because it has a five-year mandate, according to reports citing General Munir. Sharif needs to hear this. In addition, Sharif will have to contend with the belief that his primary rival was not given an equal opportunity to run in an election that was contaminated.
Source: Wion
The election emblem of Imran’s PTI party has also vanished. While Khan’s popularity may not have decreased as a result of his arrest, it does convey a clear message to his supporters: don’t support a leader who faces incarceration or a party that won’t join the government.
But in Pakistan, the past determines the future. Khan won’t serve the next twenty-four years in prison, for sure. Both Benazir Bhutto and Sharif chose to live in exile and make deals with the Army with the assistance of sympathetic foreign countries, rather than serving out their full sentences in prison. Similarly, if Sharif tumbles off the high rope, the guy who famously declared that the game isn’t over until the final ball is bowled might be involved once more.
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