ISLAMABAD: The US State Department has declined to comment on new jail sentences given to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan this week, saying the matter was for local courts to decide, though it added that it wanted to see an “open democratic process” as the South Asian country heads to general elections.
A Pakistani court on Tuesday convicted Khan of revealing official secrets and handed him 10 years in jail. On Wednesday, Khan was given a 14-year-long jail sentence and barred from public office for ten years over accusations he undervalued gifts from a state repository and gained profits from selling them while he held the country’s top office. In August last year, Khan was sentenced to three years in jail in another graft case, a term he is currently serving at Adiala Jail in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Khan’s party and supporters say the legal cases are meant to sideline the imprisoned politician just days ahead of parliamentary elections on Feb. 8.
“It is a legal matter ultimately for Pakistan’s courts,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday evening when asked if a prison sentence for Khan on the eve of elections was in keeping with “democratic values.”
“We have been following the case, the cases, I should say, plural, brought against the former prime minister but don’t have any comment on the sentencing. As we have stated consistently, we continue to call for the respect of democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law in Pakistan, as we do around the world.”
He added that the US wanted to see the democratic process unfold “in a way that allows broad participation for all parties and respects democratic principles.”
“We don’t take a position, as you have heard us say before, about internal Pakistani matters, and we don’t take a position with respect to candidates for office in Pakistan,” Miller added. “We want to see a free, fair, and open democratic process … and we will be monitoring how that proceeds over the next week to 10 days.”
Khan says all cases against him are politically motivated and meant to end his political career amid a groundswell of popularity for him and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party since he was ousted from the PM’s office in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-trust vote. Khan says his removal was orchestrated by the all-powerful military and his political rivals with the backing of Washington. All three deny the charge.
