Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan should be released immediately: UN human rights group

A United Nations human rights working group on Monday called for the immediate release of Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying he had been detained arbitrarily in violation of international laws.

The Geneva-based United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention made this demand after examining Khan's case in which he was sentenced last year on charges of corruption.

Khan has been facing multiple prison sentences since 2022 when he was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in the parliament. There was no immediate comment from the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan after his ouster.

Khan has been held in prison since August 2023 when a court awarded him a three-year prison sentence after finding him guilty of hiding assets after selling state gifts. It led to a ban on Khan from taking part in politics and contesting the Feb 8 elections, which his party says were rigged.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, which oversaw the .