LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) \u2014 Election officials in Pakistan rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday as a candidate in the\u00a0country\u2019s February parliamentary election. His lawyers have said they will appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khan is in prison serving a\u00a0three-year sentence for corruption\u00a0and also faces a stack of other charges, making it difficult for him to run for office. But he still filed nomination papers, buoyed by an appeals court\u2019s August decision to\u00a0suspend\u00a0his criminal conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Election officials disallowed Khan\u2019s candidacy because of his conviction and what they said was his disqualification under the constitution, according to documents. They also rejected the candidacies of former members of his Cabinet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisions were a fresh blow for Khan\u2019s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which authorities have targeted during a\u00a0monthslong crackdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 71-year-old former cricketer is the country\u2019s most popular opposition figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was kicked out of office in April 2022 following\u00a0a no-confidence vote\u00a0in Parliament by his political opponents. Since then, government agencies have pursued him in the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His lawyer, Azhar Siddique, said the rejection exposed the Election Commission\u2019s bias. He blamed the commission and \u201cinvisible forces\u201d for Khan\u2019s disqualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another of his lawyers, Rai Muhammad Ali, described the rejection of Khan\u2019s papers as an injustice to Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want transparent elections,\u201d Ali said. \u201cThese situations are being deliberately created to evade the election. They are all scared. We will not let them escape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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