What’s happening: Pakistan was swept by protests after its populist prime minister, Imran Khan, was removed from office and jailed. Riots are again erupting after election officials admitted to falsifying vote counts to help anti-Khan candidates.

  • Still victorious: Even with vote rigging, Khan’s party placed first in last month’s election — though lacking enough seats to form a government.

Why it matters: Chaos erupting in Pakistan after Khan’s arrest and the ensuing vote fraud foreshadows what could happen in the United States should Donald Trump be sent to prison.

  • The removal: Khan alleged in 2022 that American officials met with his political opposition and urged them to remove him from office via a vote of no-confidence, due to his neutrality in the Russo-Ukrainian War. A month later, the opposition voted to remove him.

  • The arrest: Last year, Khan was sentenced to ten years in jail for leaking a letter discussing the alleged American plot; the establishment claims that Khan violated Pakistan’s State Secrets Act.

Rigged elections: Officials have admitted to falsifying vote counts. Even so, Khan’s party won the most seats despite his incarceration. Now the country is mired in chaos after no party received a majority vote, and protests aren’t abating.

A warning: Trump is facing political prosecution, courtesy of Joe Biden’s DOJ and separate state court cases. Democrats hope that imprisonment will prevent Trump’s return to the White House — but, like Khan, Trump can win from a jail cell.

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