Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been in jail for a year and still has support

[Islamabad] It has been a year since Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister, was jailed. His initial conviction was suspended and he was acquitted in several other cases, but the controversial figure remains behind bars.

Khan, a cricket legend turned politician, served as prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022, when a no-confidence vote in parliament called by the opposition ousted him from power.

Despite severe state harassment after his ouster, Khan has emerged as the country's most powerful and popular opposition figure. In the February 2024 general election, his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was the country's largest political force, but government repression and alleged fraud prevented the PTI from gaining a majority in parliament.

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan

(Photo: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters/file photo)

In May 2023, Khan was arrested by a large group of police officers and members of the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers, sparking riots across the country. Several days after his arrest, the Supreme Court declared Khan's arrest and detention illegal and ordered his release.

A few months later, in August 2023, Khan was convicted of illegally buying and selling state gifts. An Islamabad court sentenced him to three years in prison. Just three days after the guilty verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan banned Khan from holding public office for five years.

PTI members have vowed to continue Khan’s mission in his absence. In the run-up to the February 2024 general election, PTI candidates have been arrested, tortured, and intimidated. Authorities have disrupted PTI campaign rallies and banned the party from using its iconic cricket bat symbol on the ballot paper, a crucial piece of imagery in a country where 40 percent of the population is illiterate and which uses such pictograms to identify parties. PTI candidates have been forced to run as independents, each under a separate symbol.

Days before the February 8 election, Khan was convicted in three additional cases and sentenced to 10, 14 and seven years in prison, respectively.

Numerous other cases have been brought against him, including treason, illicit marriage, inciting violence against the state and vandalizing military and public property. Khan has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintained his innocence.

In July 2024, the UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Khan's immediate and unconditional release, arguing that his imprisonment was arbitrary and contrary to international law.

The imprisonment of the 71-year-old former Pakistani leader violates at least a dozen articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the working group wrote.

The current Pakistani government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party, recently indicated its intention to keep Khan in prison until 2029, citing concerns about economic stability.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal told reporters in Islamabad that many believe Pakistan can only progress if Khan remains in jail for five years.

Khan's release could lead to increased protests and unrest, which the country cannot afford, he warned.

According to political experts, the past year has seen significant changes in the PTI Khans. Many new faces, including lawyers, have emerged at the helm of the party, and several senior leaders have faced legal challenges.

In Pakistan, most major political parties tend to be concentrated around a prominent leader. This dynamic is reflected in the PTI, the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Khan’s influence over PTI supporters was clearly evident in the February general elections. Despite Khan’s imprisonment and the charges he faced, his supporters continued to turn out. They also fiercely rejected leaders who abandoned Khan and ran alone in the elections.

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Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan take part in a rally to mark the first anniversary of his arrest and demand his release, in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.

(Photo: AP)

The continued support for Khan and his party has surprised influential circles in Pakistan as well as politicians around the world. American politicians in particular have struggled to understand what Khan’s enduring support for Pakistan means for US-Pakistan relations.

Noureen Akhtar, a political consultant at the Institute of Policy Research in Islamabad, said the continued support for Khan is evidence of the deep bond he has formed with his supporters.

Because of these dynamics, Pakistani policymakers are forced to carefully balance political sentiments with the pursuit of institutional goals, she said.

According to Akhtar, American politicians have mixed views on Khan. Some believe his leadership could strengthen democracy in Pakistan and reduce military interference in politics, while others worry about his anti-American worldview.

Regardless of their individual views on Khan, American politicians are closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan, given the delicacy of the situation and its potential implications.

The solution to Khan's charges depends on legal proceedings, Pakistan's military posture and global political coordinates, involving a balanced combination of judicial relations, public protests and international diplomatic actions, Akhtar said.

Azeem Khalid, an assistant professor of international relations at New York-based COMSATS University in Islamabad, said Pakistanis have overwhelmingly rallied behind Khan despite government repression and censorship.

Pakistani politicians know how difficult it will be to gain popular support for any candidate other than Khan, he added. But those in positions of authority follow their own rules and strategies, and they are still determined to keep the former prime minister behind bars.

He said Khan's prolonged imprisonment had deepened social divisions in Pakistan, with potentially disastrous consequences for the country's society, economy and politics.

The solution to Pakistan's political and economic turmoil lies in establishing a fair democratic system, Khalid said. He called on politicians to address the issues championed by Khan and hold free and fair elections.

He noted that the realization of this ideal scenario seems unlikely in the current political climate in Islamabad.

Adeeb Uz Zaman Safvi, a Karachi-based political analyst who is critical of US policy in South Asia, said Khan's tenure showed the promise of an independent Pakistani foreign policy.

From the American perspective, Pakistan's growing strength and autonomy under Khan have jeopardized American interests regionally and globally, he said.

He accused the US of being behind Khan's ouster, saying his rise was seen as a threat to US strategic objectives. Seeing the broad support for Khan in the 2024 elections, the US was compelled to recognise the will of the Pakistani people, Safvi said.

Adrian Calamel, a New York-based South Asia expert at the Arabian Peninsula Institute, said U.S. support for Khan and calls for greater democracy in Pakistan stem from a misunderstanding of Pakistani political dynamics.

When the US Congress passed a resolution calling for an independent investigation into the Pakistani elections, did any member of Congress remember Khan celebrating the fall of Kabul or his trip to Moscow the next day? [Russian President Vladimir] Putin invaded Ukraine? he said.

He criticized the United States' willingness to provoke diplomatic conflicts on behalf of a man who appeals to Islamists and presents himself as a Pakistani Hugo Chavez.

Once again, Americans will see a Pakistani government claiming free and fair elections and a democratic process, but the reporting will focus on a rigged election and false comparisons to Venezuela, Calamel said.

This story is written by Arshad Mehmood and reprinted with permission from The Media Line

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