Imran Khan, who was handed a 14-year sentence for corruption by a Pakistani court last week, is not the first of that nation’s former prime ministers sent to jail after falling out with the military-led establishment.
Whether he will be the last depends on how his successors use the breathing room his removal from the political scene has bought them.
Khan has languished in jail since May 2023 while multiple criminal cases against him run their course. A couple have already been dismissed; he has the right to appeal this case as well. But Pakistan’s history suggests that his career will remain on hold unless he comes to an accommodation with the brass. Khan has ruled out any such compromise.
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