before the legislative elections, tension rises within the political class

A four-minute message, broadcast on December 18 on Facebook, X and Youtube against a backdrop of archive images of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, with a note specifying that it was an artificial voice. “You may be wondering what I am doing in jail. First I would like to say that in the name of real freedom of Pakistan, it is my duty to stay in jail. Our party is not allowed to hold public gatherings. Our supporters are kidnapped, their families are harassed. I call on my fellow citizens to go out and vote”we can hear on the video.

A call for a vote in the run-up to the legislative elections in February 2024, from which the former Prime Minister fears being sidelined due to the accusations against him. The former head of government and former star cricketer, now 71, is awaiting trial in several cases, including suspected leaks of state documents.

His first arrest last spring – which preceded his detention in August – provoked massive demonstrations and large-scale repression. Almost all of the party leaders had to go underground. More recently in early December, Imran Khan had to face a revolt within the party he founded in 1996, the PTI, the Pakistan Movement for Justice. But it remains extremely popular.

Other policies covered by procedures

The run-ins between Pakistani politicians and the judiciary in Pakistan are frequent. And in the background of many political-judicial affairs, the powerful Pakistani army which has long directly ruled the country often appears. The current chief of staff is an adversary of Imran Khan, who regularly denounces the hidden role of the army. Other leading political figures are regularly targeted by procedures. This is the case of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who has recently obtained several legal successes.