Mr. Khan was forced out of power in April 2022 after falling out with the military establishment. He accused the military and the United States of conspiring to oust him and, at a rally, waved a paper, purportedly a diplomatic cable sent by the then Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. in 2022, as evidence, which came back to hit him as a violation of the Official Secrets Act. His lawyers complain that they were replaced by state attorneys in the middle of the case and that Mr. Khan was not allowed to give a proper defence in the ‘Cipher’ trial, which took place inside a jail. His arrest in May led to large-scale protests. But since then, the authorities have unleashed a systematic campaign to weaken the PTI — many of its leaders are in jail, while several others have left under pressure or are on the run. Recently, a court barred the party from using its iconic cricket bat symbol in ballots. Many PTI workers are contesting as independents. While Mr. Khan is in jail and his party is in tatters under state repression, Mr. Sharif seems to be enjoying the support of the invisible power centre in the electoral arena, which makes the elections look like a fixed match. Mr. Sharif might make a political comeback, but the real winner in the unfolding developments in Pakistan, which is grappling with enormous economic challenges, is the military and the real loser, the country’s democracy.