The former Prime Minister, very popular, is accused of having violated the rules for financing political parties by accepting money from abroad.
by
The political confrontation between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, takes a worrying tour for democracy and freedoms in Pakistan.
The former leader, ousted from power in April, after the vote of a censure motion, was personally summoned by the Pakistan Electoral Commission on August 23. He will have to answer accusations of violations of the rules for financing public life. The commission said, on August 2, that its party, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice, PTI) was funded by foreign funds, notably from the United States, Australia and United Arab Emirates.
This is an old affair, pending since 2014. “The PTI has received donations from thirty-four foreign nationals and 351 companies abroad. The collection of donations and contributions to nationals and foreign societies is struck by prohibition and constitutes a violation of Pakistani laws, “says the electoral gendarme.
For his defense, Mr. Khan assures that it is money from the diaspora that he perceived, legally, in 2012, and not that of foreign nationals. The former cricket star conquered power, in 2018, on the promise to break the grip of the Bhutto and Sharif dynasties and Sharif reign for decades in Pakistan and put an end to endemic corruption gnawing at political life. He had turned to the Pakistanis installed abroad, who are favorable to him.
Imran Khan risks his political future. His party could be banned, and he could be prohibited from exercising a public mandate. The electoral surveillance organization also agreed to study, on August 16, a request for “disqualification” from the former Prime Minister of his public office, filed by a group of deputies associated with the Pakistani democratic movement, for having omitted mention certain information in his asset declaration.
closure of a television channel
This judicial confrontation intervenes in the midst of a war of legitimacy between the former and the new Prime Minister, and while Pakistan is plunged into a major economic crisis. Since his departure from power, Imran Khan has said that he was the victim of a conspiracy encouraged by the United States and has mobilized opinion during giant meetings. In a deeply divided country, its eviction has considerably strengthened its popularity and the coalition government of Shehbaz Sharif fears that it will win the next general elections, scheduled for October 2023. The party of Imran Khan has just won a crucial election in the Pendjab, the most populous region in the country, and demands early legislative elections.
You have 44.68% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.