Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize: Advocacy group

Islamabad, Mar 31: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards "human rights and democracy in Pakistan", an advocacy group said.

The announcement was made by Pakistan World Alliance (PWA), the advocacy group founded last December and affiliated with the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum.

"We are pleased to announce on behalf of Partiet Sentrum that in alliance with somebody with the right to nominate, have nominated Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, to the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with human rights and democracy in Pakistan," Partiet Sentrum said on X on Sunday.

Anyone can be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by "qualified nominators". There are several categories of qualified nominators including members of national assemblies and governments.

Every year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee receives hundreds of nominations after which they select the winner through a lengthy eight-month process, The Express Tribune reported.

In 2019, Khan was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace in South Asia.

Khan, also the founder of Pakistan's main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been incarcerated since August 2023.

This January, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a case related to the misuse of authority and corruption.

It was the fourth major case in which the former premier has been convicted.

Three earlier convictions related to selling state gifts, leaking state secrets, and unlawful marriage were overturned or suspended by courts.

Khan lost power after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He denies all charges against him, calling them politically motivated.