Pakistan, Feb. 1 -- In what is being described as a largely expectable, no-surprise verdict, an Islamabad accountability judge handed a sentence of an overwhelming 14 years to former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Toshakhan reference. Because this is Mr Khan's third conviction, dropping on the heels of the one announced in the cypher case just a day earlier, and how it has effectively removed him from the race for the upcoming elections, the implications cannot be understated.

Similarly, the timing could not have been more peculiar. With the conviction coming just eight days before the elections, Imran Khan's chances of leading a party sans any electoral symbol or charismatic leadership to victory have signif...