Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan appeals his conviction and 3-year sentence

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday appealed his conviction and three-year sentence in a graft case, one of his lawyers said.

The development is the latest in the political drama in Pakistan surrounding the former cricket star and top opposition leader ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. The 70-year-old Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, was arrested over the weekend and sentenced for concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in office.

Khan has denied the charge, saying he did not violate any laws.

Naeem Haider Panjutha, Khan’s lawyer, said the Islamabad High Court would hear the appeal on Wednesday. The lawyer met with Khan on Monday at the high-security Attock prison in eastern Punjab province.

Speaking to reporters after filing the appeal in Islamabad, Panjutha said Khan’s conviction should be declared “illegal and without lawful authority.” He also asked the court to acquit Khan, claiming he was arrested illegally.

Separately, Khan’s defense team is petitioning the court for better prison facilities for the former prime minister, Panjutha said.

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Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and critics have said the former premier was being politically victimized by his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a charge the government denies.

Sharif said he would step down on Wednesday, after the five-year term of the current parliament runs out and ahead of the next parliamentary elections, expected in October or November.

Sharif spoke on Tuesday to a gathering of families of fallen soldiers and members of the country’s security forces killed in fighting militants. “They sacrificed their lives for the motherland, and the whole nation is proud of them,” he said.

Under Pakistan’s constitution, after Sharif steps down and the parliament is disbanded, a caretaker government is installed to run day-to-day affairs and lead the country to the next election.

Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League party is expected to face tough competition from Khan’s party — though Khan himself would be unable to contest the election unless his appeal is granted and he is released from prison.

Pakistan’s Election Commission on Tuesday disqualified Khan from running for office for five years, based on his conviction and sentence. Under Pakistan’s laws, no convicted person is eligible to lead a party, run in elections, or hold public office.

Panjutha earlier in the week said Khan was in good spirits and maintaining “a high morale” despite the harsh conditions at Attock prison, which was established in 1905 during British colonial rule. The facility holds convicted militants and the most hardcore criminals during trial proceedings.

Panjutha said Khan is being held in a “small room at the prison where there is no air conditioner and where there are flies in daytime and insects at night.”

Khan was previously arrested in May on corruption charges, triggering a wave of violent protests across the country. Days later, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his release, saying his arrest was illegal.

Since his sentencing on Saturday, Khan has renewed calls for mass protests but has failed to gain traction among his supporters. He has also claimed that his ouster was a conspiracy by Washington, Sharif and the Pakistani military — accusations that all three deny.