Pakistan ex-PM Khan barred from election candidacy: party

Khan has been in prison since August, facing trial over a slew of cases heinsists have been orchestrated to prevent him from contesting the election asthe figurehead of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The former cricket star was found guilty of graft earlier this year, but acourt suspended his three-year sentence and the conviction is being appealed.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him from office overthe conviction, but PTI turned in nomination papers for Khan last weekregardless.
"Nomination papers of almost all national and provincial leaders of PTI,including Imran Khan, have been rejected," said PTI spokesman Raoof Hasan."90 to 95 percent of our candidates' papers have been rejected."
Hasan told AFP candidates were being blocked as part of an "agenda" toprevent PTI from contesting the election.
"All tactics are being tried for this purpose but, under any circumstances,we will not leave the political ground and will not boycott the elections,"he said.
An election commission official told AFP various PTI candidates had beenrebuffed including Khan, based on his conviction.
The commission is due to announce the final list of contesting candidates onJanuary 23.
PTI's claim it is already being frozen out of the electoral process is likelyto lead to a slew of appeals to the ECP and various courts.
"We will stay in the elections and will file appeals against all thesedecisions in each of the constituencies and will use all our constitutional,legal and political options," Hasan said.
Khan, 71, was ousted last year after falling out with Pakistan's powerfulmilitary leaders who backed him into power in 2018.
In opposition, he waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against themilitary establishment which has directly ruled the nation for much of itshistory.
He accused them of engineering his removal from office in a no-confidencevote via a US-backed conspiracy and of plotting an assassination attempt thatsaw him wounded.
After Khan's brief detention in May sparked unrest, PTI has been the subjectof a widespread crackdown, with leading figures either jailed or forced toleave the party.