Pakistan jails 108 members of Imran Khan's party
"For the first time in Pakistan's judicial history, such a sad and shameful incident occurred that the leaders of the opposition in both houses [of parliament] were punished solely on the basis that they were loyal allies of Imran Khan's political narrative, public representation, and constitutional struggle," PTI wrote on X.The party says it will challenge the verdict.Khan's media advisor Zulfi Bukhari said the latest sentences signified "a black day for democracy", AFP news agency reported."Convicting opposition leaders one after another is not a good omen for any democratic system, and it will seriously damage our already fragile democracy," Bukhari said.Khan, formerly an international cricket star, has been imprisoned since August 2023, but remains hugely popular in Pakistan.He still faces more than 150 charges ranging from terrorism to leaking state secrets, all of which he and his supporters have decried as politically motivated.Violent clashes broke out between security forces and Khan's supporters following his arrest on 9 May 2023, which saw thousands of his supporters storm government buildings and military installations. At least ten people were killed in the protests, which prompted authorities to crack down on Khan's party.During National Assembly elections in 2024, PTI members running as independent candidates won the most seats, but were blocked from forming government.
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9 hours ago
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The Guardian
12 hours ago
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'Her intended absence from the trial should not shield her from justice.' Mohammad Arafat, who served as a senior minister in Hasina's government and is also facing charges, called the tribunal a 'political show trial'. 'The Awami League categorically rejects the politically motivated charges brought against its leadership,' he said. 'I urge the international community to recognise this tribunal for what it is: a tool to criminalise political opposition and rewrite lawful governance as criminality.' Mubashar Hasan, a political scientist who was forced into exile after he was abducted and tortured and is now a researcher at Western Sydney University, was among those who said that in an 'ideal scenario' Hasina would instead be put on trial at the international criminal court in The Hague. The Yunus-led interim government has already banned Hasina's Awami League party from taking part in the elections expected early next year, but critics have said this undermines the democratic nature of the polls, given that Awami League is still one of the country's largest parties. The election is expected to be swept by the Bangladesh Nationalist party, whose leadership suffered years of persecution under Hasina. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islamist party which was banned under Hasina, is also expected to do well, which has raised concerns about the rise of Islamic hardliners undermining the country's secular foundations.
