A timeline of key events leading up to the parliamentary elections in Pakistan – Winnipeg Free Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Here is a list of some of the highlights of the past few years ahead of Pakistan's parliamentary elections on Thursday:

July 25, 2018 — Pakistanis have voted in a new government in an election marred by violence and allegations of fraud.

July 26, 2018 — Former cricket star Imran Khan has won the election but will have to find allies to form a coalition. A few weeks later, the deputies elected him as the country's prime minister.

February 26, 2019 — Tensions in the region have escalated after an airstrike inside Pakistan that New Delhi said targeted a terrorist training camp. In response, Pakistan shot down two Indian warplanes and captured the pilot.

August 15, 2021 — The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in the final weeks of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country after two decades of costly war. Fearful for their future, Afghans race to the airport, one of the last routes out of Afghanistan, as well as to border crossings to Pakistan.

April 9, 2022 — Pakistan's political opposition ousts Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote in parliament. The opposition formed a new government, with Shehbaz Sharif, brother of disgraced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, sworn in days later.

July 5, 2022 – Weeks of incessant rain have destroyed homes, schools, other buildings and infrastructure in Pakistan. The summer will be a time of unprecedented flooding, killing more than 1,700 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.

November 3, 2022 — Imran Khan is wounded in a shooting at a rally in the eastern city of Lahore, his party calls the attack an assassination attempt. One of Khan's supporters was killed and nine others were injured. The gunman was immediately apprehended, and police later said he acted alone.

November 28, 2022 — The Pakistani Taliban have broken a ceasefire with the government and their fighters have resumed attacks across the country, mostly targeting the country's security forces.

November 29, 2022 — New army chief and former spy General Asim Munir replaces General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who stepped down after a six-year term.

January 30, 2023 — A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform kills at least 100 people at a mosque inside a government and police compound in northwest Peshawar.

May 9, 2023 – Imran Khan is arrested and dragged from court to face charges in several bribery cases. His arrest sparked days of violent protests by angry supporters.

July 12, 2023 — The International Monetary Fund approves a long-awaited $3 billion bailout deal, a move that could save Pakistan from defaulting on debt.

August 5, 2023 — Imran Khan is sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of corruption, the first sentence in more than 150 cases against him. He was transferred to the notoriously harsh high-security Attock prison in eastern Punjab province.

August 9, 2023 — The President of Pakistan dissolves the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, the first step in the countdown to the upcoming general election.

September 26, 2023 — Imran Khan is transferred from Attock Jail to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi Garrison near Islamabad.

October 4, 2023 — Pakistan announces a massive crackdown on foreigners living in the country illegally, including some 1.7 million Afghans. The policy has angered Afghanistan's Taliban-led government and drawn widespread condemnation from aid agencies, rights groups and the United Nations.

October 21, 2023 — Three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif has returned to Pakistan after spending four years in self-imposed exile abroad to escape a prison sentence on corruption charges. His conviction and sentence will be overturned on appeal after his return.

November 2, 2023 — Pakistan's election watchdog postpones parliamentary elections for the second time, announcing that the vote, originally expected in November and then scheduled for the last week of January, will take place on February 8.

January 8, 2024 — The Supreme Court lifts a lifetime ban on politicians with criminal convictions, clearing the way for Nawaz Sharif's fourth term in power. The decision states that convicted politicians are prohibited from running for election for only five years.

January 16 — Iran launches airstrikes in Pakistan on what it describes as bases for Sunni militant groups. Pakistan called the attack a “reckless violation” of its airspace and retaliated two days later in a major strain in relations between the neighbours.

January 30 — Imran Khan is sentenced to 10 years in prison after he leaves office after being found guilty of revealing state secrets by passing a classified document during a political rally.

January 31 — Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are sentenced to 14 years on charges of keeping and selling government gifts while in power.

February 3 — Khan and his wife are sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the country's marriage laws when they married in 2018. This is the fourth sentence so far for Khan and the second for his wife.

February 7 — At least 24 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in two explosions at election offices in Balochistan on the eve of elections.