According to Dr. Priyanka Singh, a geo-political expert from IDSA, India's foremost think tank for advanced research in international relations, Khan languishing in prison while the country prepares for February polls doesn't come across as a strange reality to those conversant with Pakistan's political history.
"Several former Prime Ministers including Hussain Suhrawardy, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and others have all been either convicted or imprisoned in the past," she said.
"Therefore, Imran Khan being convicted and imprisoned and largely kept isolated from the centre-stage of political spectrum at least till the upcoming polls must be seen as a tried, age-old method that is re-applied to prevent his return to power mainly at the behest of the all-powerful military," Singh stated.
"Therefore, it is rather futile to overthink or overreact to such incidents/developments in Pakistan or judge the merit of such impositions. They are as mundane as the acceptance of reality that the democracy or no democracy - Pakistan army rules the roost," Singh opined.