The Shehbaz Sharif government has been criticized for rushing legislation in an attempt to amplify the power of the armed forces and block all possibilities of release of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The Shehbaz Sharif government has proposed a comprehensive constitutional amendment which, if passed, will give the government greater control over the judiciary and country’s election commission.

The government also proposed charging former PM Imran Khan, who is still in jail despite getting relief in most of the major cases from courts, for high treason

Wednesday’s sentencing is the third for the former prime minister of Pakistan who has alleged that he is being persecuted by the army and political class in response to pressure from the US

Imran Khan has been sentenced by a special court for allegedly disclosing a diplomatic cable. The former PM has maintained that the document contains proof of a conspiracy involving the military and the US that led to his ouster from office in 2022

The Supreme Court decision to permit military trials of civilians reversed its own decision from October. The ruling comes in the context of military trials against opposition leaders and members for the May protests after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan

The ruling coalition in Pakistan has launched a sit-in protest outside the Supreme Court to oppose the court’s order granting relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest last week