Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif to Seek Fourth Term in Office

Sharif's Main Rival, Imran Khan, Currently Serving Prison Term, Also Plans to Contest Elections

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will seek a fourth term in office, according to his party. Sharif has served as prime minister three times and returned to Pakistan in October after four years of self-exile in London to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges.
Sharif's convictions and sentences were overturned on appeal after his return, making him eligible to run for a seat in the parliament, which will elect the new prime minister after the February 8 vote.
Sharif's main rival, Imran Khan, is currently serving a prison term but has also announced plans to contest the elections. Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Police arrested one of Khan’s deputies, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in Rawalpindi under a law that allows authorities to detain anyone to maintain law and order in the country.
Khan and Qureshi are accused of revealing the contents of a classified cable that was sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington when Khan was in power. Both deny they disclosed the cable’s contents.