The Facts
Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan was indicted Wednesday for allegedly selling gifts given by foreign dignitaries from Pakistan’s gift depository without disclosing the assets to the Election Commission.
The indictment is part of the "Toshakhana case," which refers to the state repository, and dates back to an August 2022 lawsuit filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The lawsuit claims Khan and his wife retained 112 gifts from his tenure spanning August 2018 to December 2021.
The Spin
Narrative A
Khan has been mired in controversy and scandals for years, and the mounting evidence is too much to ignore. Khan has used his power to subvert democracy, including his attempt to dissolve parliament to escape the no-confidence vote that ousted him. Now, he's using his platform to bring Pakistan to the brink of civil war by urging his supporters to commit violence. Khan is a danger to Pakistan, and his corruption is finally being exposed.
Narrative B
Democracy in Pakistan is dead, and Imran Khan is the sacrificial lamb. Though he's extremely popular amongst the Pakistani people, global powers, notably the US, want him removed from public life and disqualified at all costs because he refused to act as a puppet. Khan was first wrongly removed as Prime Minister in a coup, and now he is being arrested to make sure he can never represent the will of the people. This is a very sad day for all of Pakistan and democracy at large.
