Pak ex-PM Khan barred from election candidacy

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and most of his supporters have been rejected as candidates for the February 8 election, party officials said yesterday after nominations for ballot closed.

Khan has been in prison since August, facing trial over a slew of cases he insists have been orchestrated to prevent him from contesting the election as the figurehead of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The former cricket star was found guilty of graft earlier this year, but a court suspended his three-year sentence and conviction is being appealed.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him from office over the conviction, but PTI turned in nomination papers for Khan last week regardless.

AFP, Islamabad

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and most of his supporters have been rejected as candidates for the February 8 election, party officials said yesterday after nominations for ballot closed.

Khan has been in prison since August, facing trial over a slew of cases he insists have been orchestrated to prevent him from contesting the election as the figurehead of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The former cricket star was found guilty of graft earlier this year, but a court suspended his three-year sentence and conviction is being appealed.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him from office over the conviction, but PTI turned in nomination papers for Khan last week regardless.