Former Pakistani Prime Minister Sentenced to Imprisonment, Appeals After Election Victory

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has filed an appeal against the prison sentences handed down just before the general election, according to foreign media including the AP on the 17th (local time). This comes shortly after independent candidates led by him performed well in the election.

According to reports, Khan's legal team announced that they appealed the three prison sentences yesterday. Khan was sentenced to three years in prison last August on charges of failing to properly declare gifts received from abroad during his tenure and has since been repeatedly sentenced to prison.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 30th of last month, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets; on the following day, the 31st, he received a 14-year sentence for purchasing expensive gifts received from foreign delegations during his premiership at a low price from the national treasury along with his wife; and on the 3rd, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison along with his wife for violating Islamic law during his marriage to his third wife.

This appeal came after independent candidates from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Khan, secured the largest number of seats (92 seats) in the general election held on the 8th. Since Khan was incarcerated, he was unable to run in the election, and PTI was dissolved, so the candidates ran as independents.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which secured the largest number of seats among parties after the election, is negotiating to form a coalition government with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and others. PML-N is a party supported by the powerful Pakistani military. Khan's side is also seeking to form a coalition government with other parties.

Meanwhile, PTI and other parties are protesting, alleging vote manipulation during the election process.

Imran Khan clashed with the military over foreign policy and other issues and was removed from office in April 2022 after a no-confidence vote in parliament. Since then, he has claimed that the military was behind his ousting and has been leading protest rallies. He is currently imprisoned following his conviction.