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Pakistan election officials reject former prime minister Khan’s candidacy in parliamentary election

December 30, 2023 GMT

FILE - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, arrives to appear at a Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, July 24, 2023. Pakistan’s top court on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 allowed military courts to resume the trials of more than 100 supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of attacking military installations during violent demonstrations that broke out following Khan’s arrest in May. The latest order by the Supreme Court came less than two months after five judges on the same court stopped the trial of 103 civilians who were arrested as part of a crackdown on Khan’s party. (AP Photo/W.K. Yousafzai, File)

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Election officials in Pakistan rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday as a candidate in the country’s February parliamentary election. His lawyers have said they will appeal.

Khan is in prison serving a three-year sentence for corruption and also faces a stack of other charges, making it difficult for him to run for office. But he still filed nomination papers, buoyed by an appeals court’s August decision to suspend his criminal conviction.

Election officials disallowed Khan’s candidacy because of his conviction and what they said was his disqualification under the constitution, according to documents. They also rejected the candidacies of former members of his Cabinet.

The decisions were a fresh blow for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which authorities have targeted during a monthslong crackdown.

The 71-year-old former cricketer is the country’s most popular opposition figure.

He was kicked out of office in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote in Parliament by his political opponents. Since then, government agencies have pursued him in the courts.

His lawyer, Azhar Siddique, said the rejection exposed the Election Commission’s bias. He blamed the commission and “invisible forces” for Khan’s disqualification.

Another of his lawyers, Rai Muhammad Ali, described the rejection of Khan’s papers as an injustice to Pakistan.

“We want transparent elections,” Ali said. “These situations are being deliberately created to evade the election. They are all scared. We will not let them escape.”