Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is indicted for allegedly insulting election officials

A lawyer says a Pakistani court has indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a contempt case for allegedly insulting election officials

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 03 January 2024 13:08 GMT
Pakistan Politics
Pakistan Politics (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Pakistani court on Wednesday indicted imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a contempt case for allegedly insulting election officials, his defense lawyer said.

The indictment is another blow for Khan, 71, who is serving time on a corruption conviction and has multiple other legal cases hanging over him.

It also comes days after election officials rejected Khan’s nomination papers, blocking his attempt to contest parliamentary polls on Feb. 8.

Khan is accused of calling the head of the Election Commission, Sikandar Sultan Rajaa, and other officials “personal servants” of former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sharif replaced Khan in April 2022 after he was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Khan's lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, said Khan was indicted at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi.

He said during the court hearing, the popular opposition leader pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him. One of Khan's former deputies, Fawad Chaudhry, was also indicted on the same charges.

Election officials say they rejected Khan’s candidacy because of his corruption conviction.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in