ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party said on Friday its leader former Prime Minister Imran Khan had hired the internationally renowned barrister Geoffrey Ronald Robertson to represent the politician in international courts in cases related to “unlawful detention and human rights abuses.”

The PTI party has faced a countrywide crackdown since Khan’s first brief arrest on May 9 for suspected graft sparked widespread protests that saw mobs ransacking state installations, including military assets. Khan was subsequently released on bail but convicted in a graft case last month and jailed for three years in a fresh setback to the 70-year-old former cricket hero's political career. He faces a long legal battle before he can make a political comeback ahead of a national election expected early next year.

“PTI Chairman, Former Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI has appointed the eminent Human Rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of @DoughtyStreet Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights abuses,” the PTI said.

Dozens of top and mid-tier leaders in the PTI have been arrested alongside hundreds of Khan supporters since the violent protests of May 9. Many have quit the party after being released while other leaders have gone on the run to avoid arrest.

Khan himself faces a slew of cases, including one for leaking state secrets, which carries the death sentence. Prior to his arrest, he had accused the military of trying to dismantle his party and end his political career. The army denies involvement.

Robertson, a barrister since 1973, has successfully represented The Guardian, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among other media outfits. His clients include heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, Dow Jones and Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

He has appeared in cases before the European Court of Human Rights and in other courts around the world and has been on several human rights missions on behalf of Amnesty International, including in Mozambique, Venda, Czechoslovakia, Malawi, Vietnam and South Africa.

In 2015, Robertson represented Armenia with barrister Amal Clooney at the European Court of Human Rights and since 2016 has been representing Lula da Silva, the current president of Brazil.