Imran Khan, Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, allowed his wife a brief visit

from Pakistan Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan He was allowed a brief visit from his wife on Thursday at a high-security prison where the main opposition leader and national cricket hero is being held, his lawyer said.

The visit comes as Pakistan inched towards new parliamentary elections. The National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, was dissolved on wednesday And now Khan’s successor, current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is expected to install an interim government to run day-to-day affairs and run the country until a vote, possibly in November.

Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League party is expected to face stiff competition from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI party, although Khan himself would not be able to participate unless his conviction is overturned. Under Pakistani law, no one with a criminal conviction can lead a party, participate in elections or hold public office.

Thursday’s prison visit was the first time the 70-year-old Khan had seen his wife, Bushra Bibi, since an Islamabad court found him guilty over the weekend and sentenced him to three years for concealing assets from the sale of state gifts he received while in power. .

Bibi, a spiritual healer from a deeply conservative family, faces separate charges with Khan for accepting land as a gift in exchange for providing benefits to a property magnate during Khan’s tenure.

The visit lasted just over half an hour, a time normally given to common prisoners, lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said in a video message on X, formerly known as Twitter. High-profile prisoners are often given more time for weekly family visits.

The lawyer, who is appealing what he sees as appalling prison conditions for Khan, said he is still being held in a small cell with no air conditioning and has been denied permission to get home-cooked food and see his longtime doctor. Attock prison in the eastern Punjab province is known for its harsh conditions and its inmates include convicted militants.

The corrections department said Thursday that Khan can watch television, read newspapers and receive medical attention from a prison doctor.

Khan was ousted in a vote of no confidence in April 2022, but remains very popular. He has been slapped with some 150 legal cases since his ouster, and has insisted that his removal from power was a conspiracy by Washington, Sharif and the Pakistani military, charges all three have denied.

Khan was previously arrested in May, also on corruption charges, sparking a wave of violent protests across the country. Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his release days later, saying the arrest was illegal.

In a separate development, a court in the capital Islamabad on Thursday canceled the bail Khan had been granted a week ago in the real estate case in which Bibi is a co-defendant.

Although after parliament is dissolved, new elections must be held within 90 days, this time there is a twist. A delay until spring is possible if Pakistan’s electoral commission opts for redistricting before the election, according to the results of a recent census.