Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was removed from his position on Saturday by his own political party, AFP reported. Khan stated that his resignation was in order to participate in the upcoming elections as an independent candidate.

Khan founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in 1996 with the goal of eventually winning elections. Despite initial setbacks, the party gained momentum and became a significant force in the National Assembly after the 2018 general elections, resulting in Khan becoming Prime Minister.

The former prime minister has faced numerous corruption charges and has been in prison since August, awaiting trial for several offenses, including corruption in government documents. He has been replaced in his party position by Ghulam Khan, a lawyer with no affiliation to Khan’s government.

The PTI party had previously warned that they would remove Khan from his leadership position if they discovered that their trust in him had been compromised, particularly in relation to corruption allegations involving party officials. These changes were expected given the party’s stance on the issue.

Elections in Pakistan are of significant political importance, particularly considering the country’s high level of corruption in the ruling government, which international banking data suggests is nearly 58 percent. Imran Khan, a renowned international cricket player who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, has been barred from participating in his party’s internal elections due to ongoing investigations.

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