Imran barred from politics for five years

ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (Agencies): The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been barred from holding public office for five years by the country's electoral authorities.
The decision was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan three days after Mr Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption.
Tuesday's announcement also means Mr Khan will be dismissed as an MP.
He maintains the charges are politically motivated, but the Pakistani government denies this.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan's minister of information and broadcasting, told the BBC before the announcement: "You have to be accountable for your deeds in law. This has nothing to do with politics. A person who has been proven guilty by the court has to be arrested."
Under Pakistani laws, a convicted person cannot run for public office for a period set out by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
His legal team has challenged the guilty verdict and the case will be heard in the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday.
The former prime minister is currently being held in a prison near Islamabad.
The vote, however, could be delayed several months with the election commission set to start redrawing hundreds of constituencies based on a fresh census.
Analysts have said any delay in the election could fuel public anger and add to uncertainty in the nuclear-armed nation.
The last general election in July 2018 was won by the party of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who was sworn in days later as prime minister for the first time.
Khan has been at the heart of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote last year, raising concern about Pakistan's stability. He has since been convicted and jailed in a graft case, following which he has been barred from taking part in any election for five years.
Khan has accused the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan since independence in 1947, of being responsible for his ouster. The military has denied the charge.
Khan was replaced by Sharif, who has been grappling with a debilitating economic crisis and historically high inflation levels as the government implemented painful reforms to secure funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In addition to the legal issues that could crop up if the vote is delayed, the side-lining of Khan, the country's most popular leader according to polls, will cast doubt over the credibility of the elections.