Pakistan media ban on Imran Khan trial raises transparency concerns

FILE PHOTO: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pauses as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistan court has banned media from reporting on proceedings in a closed-door trial of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of leaking state secrets, raising concerns about transparency ahead of national elections in February.

The 71-year-old former cricket star has been at the centre of a political crisis since his ouster from office in 2022. Khan won the last general election in 2018, a victory his opponents say he achieved with the help of the military, which often plays an outsized role in making and breaking Pakistan governments.