Imprisoned former Pakistani premier Imran Khan appeals convictions and sentences in 3 legal cases

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The legal team of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday appealed his convictions and sentences in three controversial legal cases, a defense lawyer said.

Khan was sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison on charges of corruption, revealing official secrets and violation of marriage law. The appeals were filed on Friday, more than two weeks after Khan was convicted and sentenced following trials at a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Latif Khosa, Khan’s lawyer, said.

It was unclear why Khan’s legal team waited for more than two weeks to file the appeals.

Khan’s convictions and sentencing came ahead of Feb. 8 parliamentary elections in which candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, won the most seats.

However, no party was able to get a simple majority in the vote that was held to choose a new parliament and ultimately elect a new premier. Khan could not run because of his convictions.

Khan was sentenced on Jan. 30 to 10 years on the conviction of revealing official secrets. Within the next few days, he was sentenced to 14 years in a graft case and seven years on violation of a marriage law.

Khosa said the appeals of the convictions for revealing official secrets and indulging in corruption have been filed in the Islamabad High Court, while an appeal of the conviction of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on a charge of violation of a marriage law was filed in another court.

Meanwhile, Khan’s PTI and several other political parties rallied Friday against alleged rigging of the Feb. 8 vote, with thousands gathering near the southern city of Hyderabad. Khan’s party also issued a call for nationwide protests against the alleged vote rigging for