QUOTES-Reaction to Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan's 10-year jail term

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By Ariba Shahid

KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricket star Imran Khan received a 10-year jail sentence on Tuesday for leaking state secrets in the harshest punishment yet in multiple cases he faces.

In prison since August, the popular 71-year-old Khan denies wrongdoing and accuses the military of persecution. Following are comments from analysts about what this means for Khan ahead of the Feb. 8 general election.

MADIHA AFZAL, ANALYST & BROOKINGS SCHOLAR

"It was apparent that the state was using the cipher case to sideline Khan completely. Khan’s (predictable) sentence is part of the (military) establishment’s usual playbook before elections.

"The irregularities of the trial have now cast an even greater shadow on polls that had already lost their credibility given the extent of pre-poll manipulation that’s taken place."

MICHAEL KUGELMAN, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FOR SOUTH ASIA AT THE WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOLARS

"In terms of Khan’s electoral prospects, the impact of the verdict is purely symbolic. Khan had already received a separate prison sentence that prevents him from participating in polls.

"But the verdict also delivers a sharper blow to his broader politics. Khan’s populism has long revolved around fighting corruption and railing against what he views as U.S. policy and pressure that hurt Pakistan’s interests.

"And yet he’s now been jailed for both corruption and for exposing what he describes, albeit wrongly, as plans for a U.S. plot against him."

AMBER RAHIM SHAMSI, POLITICAL ANALYST AND DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM

"The disorderly haste in which the cipher trial was concluded just over a week before election day validates Imran Khan and PTI’s stance that an expedient verdict is preferred over a just verdict.

"The verdict will cast a long and dark shadow over the fairness of the elections and the credibility of any incoming government to make the difficult decisions needed to set Pakistan on the right economic path."

MAZHAR ABBAS, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST AND ANALYST

"His supporters may come out in large numbers to cast votes... The decision coming out just before elections will not only help him politically but it wall also raise questions about the election's credibility."

MOSHARRAF ZAIDI, PAKISTANI WRITER, ANALYST AND FORMER POLICY ADVISOR TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

"Imran Khan’s jail sentence is another indication of the system-wide barrier to his participation in the political process. It will validate his supporters’ belief that the system is rigged to deny him and his party the path back to the prime minister’s office.

"Regardless of the way it is received, the judgment will not be able to withstand the scrutiny of an appeal because of a range of procedural issues.

"Lost in this fog of partisanship will be the more serious question of whether leaders of a country should be bound by constraints like the Secrets Act, or whether the virtue of popularity insulates them from such restrictions. As evident in the case of Donald Trump and now Khan, in the age of populism these kinds of cases will only grow in quantum."

SUHAIL WARRAICH, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST AND TELEVISION HOST

"Pre-poll rigging has happened in every election. It's happening this time around too. However, this time, it's way more than ever before.

"After all this, it brings up the question of the credibility of the election. But because the country operates under a hybrid democracy, people accept whatever results the elections present."

ZAIGHAM KHAN, POLITICAL ANALYST

"The situation is likely to have a disheartening impact on the voters and supporters of PTI, conveying the notion that their leader might not be released in the near future.

"Given the party's strong dependence on Imran Khan's charisma and his ability to mobilise support, this could cast uncertainty on the party's future prospects."

AMIR ZIA, POLLITICAL ANALYST AND JOURNALIST

"The Election Commission and the Supreme Court may have given a decision on merit, but it has political ramifications. The sentencing of Imran Khan has intensified polarisation.

"The stage is set for a prolonged period of political tussle which has all the potential to destabilise Pakistan. This is not a good omen for the country." (Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Nick Macfie)