COURTING CONTROVERSY
Earlier this month a UN panel of experts found Khan’s detention “had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office”.
The “prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose,” it said, calling for his immediate release after nearly a year in jail.
Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted after falling out with the military establishment, which wields huge influence over civilian politics.
In opposition he waged a campaign of defiance against the generals, who directly ruled Pakistan for decades of its history, even accusing them of being behind an assassination attempt that wounded him.
But the former cricket star’s comeback was hobbled by scores of legal cases, which analysts say were likely brought at the behest of the military establishment.
Khan was first briefly arrested in May 2023, sparking nationwide unrest from PTI supporters, some of which targeted military facilities.
The government and military cited the attacks as justification for a sweeping crackdown on PTI, which saw its senior leadership decimated by arrests and defections.
PTI candidates were forced to stand as independents in the February 8 elections, which had been repeatedly delayed amid political chaos.
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