Election authorities in Pakistan reject Imran Khan’s nomination for the parliamentary elections

On Saturday, Pakistani election authorities disqualified former prime minister Imran Khan from running in the parliamentary election scheduled for February. He will file an appeal, according to his attorneys.

Khan is incarcerated for a three-year term related to corruption and is facing several more allegations, which makes it difficult for him to seek public office. Nevertheless, encouraged by the August ruling of an appeals court to erase his criminal conviction, he proceeded to submit candidacy paperwork.

Documents show that election authorities rejected Khan’s candidacy due to his conviction and their claim that he was disqualified under the constitution. They also disapproved of the candidacies of his former Cabinet colleagues.

The rulings dealt a further setback to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which has been the focus of an ongoing crackdown by the authorities for some months.

The most well-liked opposition figure in the nation is the 71-year-old former cricket player.

After his political rivals in Parliament passed a no-confidence motion, he was removed from office in April 2022. Governmental organizations have been suing him in court ever since.

Azhar Siddique, his attorney, said that the Election Commission’s prejudice was shown by the denial. He held Khan’s disqualification accountable to “invisible forces” and the commission.

Rai Muhammad Ali, one of his other attorneys, called the denial of Khan’s documents an injustice to Pakistan.

Ali said, “We want transparent elections.” “These circumstances are purposefully set up to throw off the election. Everybody is afraid. We won’t allow them to go away.