Pakistan imprisons Imran Khan
Imran Khan is a demagogue. Like Viktor Orbán of Hungary, he thought he could rule Pakistan like an autocrat. And, just like Orbán, he seemed to think fraternizing with Russian President Vladimir Putin was the best way to win friends and influence Western leaders.
That autocratic style of leadership has worked for Orbán, but not for Khan.
It was foreboding enough on Tuesday when a court sentenced him to 10 years for mishandling official secrets. Notably, US prosecutors have indicted former President Donald Trump on similar charges. Because that sentence alone vindicated the birds-of-a-feather indictment I laid out against Trump and Khan last year.
But a mere 24 hours later, a court sentenced Khan to 14 years after finding him guilty of more decidedly Trumpian charges of corruption.
It was his second conviction in as many days and the harshest yet, and was seen as part of the long-running struggle between civilian leaders and the powerful military in the troubled Western ally.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi — who was also convicted Wednesday — were accused of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power. In addition to his prison term, Khan was disqualified from holding any public office for 10 years.
(The Associated Press, January 31, 2024)
Khan suffering Navalny’s fate
Khan must see that Pakistan is only doing to him what his BFF Putin is doing to Alexei Navalny. To be sure, Pakistan erased all doubt yesterday when yet another court sentenced Khan to seven years.
The charge, this time, was conspiring with his wife to enter marriage under circumstances that violated Islamic law. In short, she did not complete the mandated waiting period after divorcing her husband.
The evidence was clear and convincing that Trump and Khan’s alleged crimes warranted prosecution. Yet both cried persecution.
Even so, Trump should take heed. After all, like Trump, Khan warned of bedlam, even civil war, if prosecutors dared to arrest and jail him. Yet, crickets!
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