Former Pakistan PM Khan Barred From Politics for 5 Years After Graft Conviction

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a news conference in Shaukat Khanum hospital, in Lahore, Pakistan, on Nov. 4, 2022. (K.M. Chaudhry/AP Photo)

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been disqualified from holding public office for five years after being convicted of graft charges, according to Pakistan’s Election Commission.

Mr. Khan, 70, was sentenced recently to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts while in power.

“Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is disqualified for a period of five years and is also de-notified as a returned candidate from constituency NA-45 Kurram-I,” the commission said in an order on Aug. 8.

Mr. Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore on Aug. 5 and transported to the capital, Islamabad, after the verdict was released. He had denied any wrongdoing, and his party has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was appointed to the party’s leadership in Mr. Khan’s absence, claimed that Mr. Khan was deprived of a fair trial in the asset concealment case.

“We have to struggle for his freedom—we have to fight legally and politically and move in a peaceful way in line with Imran Khan’s directives,” he was cited as saying by Reuters.

In a video message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Khan said that he had anticipated his arrest, saying it was part of what he called the “London Plan” orchestrated by the Shehbaz Sharif government.

“It is one more step in fulfilling London Plan, but I want my party workers to remain peaceful, steadfast, and strong,” he stated. It remains unclear when the video was recorded.

Since his ouster from power in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022, Mr. Khan has faced more than 150 legal cases, including several on charges of corruption, terrorism, and inciting people to violence over deadly protests in May.

Despite his ouster, Mr. Khan, a cricket star-turned-politician, remains the leading opposition figure.

Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb denied that Mr. Khan’s arrest had anything to do with elections that are scheduled for later this year. She said Mr. Khan had been allowed to defend himself against the asset concealment charges.

“Instead, Imran Khan used the time to delay the court proceedings and went back and forth to the high court and Supreme Court to halt this case,” she said.

Ms. Aurangzeb added that Mr. Khan has been “proven guilty of illegal practices, corruption, concealing assets, and wrongly declaring wealth in tax returns.”

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan chant slogans as they block a road as a protest to condemn the arrest of their leader, in Peshawar, Pakistan, on May 9, 2023. (Muhammad Sajjad/AP Photo)

PTI supporters’ reactions were relatively subdued, compared to violent protests triggered by Mr. Khan’s brief arrest in May, when protesters clashed with police officers. Hundreds of his supporters were arrested following the protest.

Pakistan has seen its share of former prime ministers arrested over the years and interventions by its powerful military.

Mr. Khan is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was arrested and hanged in 1979. The current prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who also served as prime minister, was arrested several times on corruption allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.