Pakistan's electoral body has dismissed the nomination bid of former Prime Minister Imran Khan to participate in the upcoming 2024 national elections across two constituencies, as reported by officials and his party's media representatives on Saturday.
The 71-year-old former cricket luminary has found himself entangled in a web of political and legal confrontations ever since his removal from the prime ministerial office in April 2022. His absence from public appearances has persisted since his imprisonment for a three-year term in August, stemming from charges of illicitly selling state-endowed items during his tenure from 2018 to 2022.
Despite Khan's disqualification due to the corruption conviction, which prohibits his candidacy in the scheduled February 8 elections, his media team indicated that he submitted nomination papers on Friday, seeking participation.
The Election Commission of Pakistan, in its list of invalidated candidates from Lahore, cited reasons for Khan's rejection, highlighting his non-registration as a voter within the constituency and his disqualification stemming from a court-issued conviction.
Further reports from his media team revealed that the commission also dismissed Khan's nomination bid to contest elections from his hometown, Mianwali.
Khan, widely regarded as the nation's most favoured leader, asserts that he is a target of the influential military establishment, alleging their motives to bar his participation in the electoral process. Contrarily, the military refutes these claims.
Following a high court's refusal to suspend his disqualification from the elections, Pakistan's Supreme Court granted Khan bail concerning a case linked to the disclosure of state secrets, the ruling coming a day after the aforementioned judicial decision.
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