Imran Khan, the most popular leader in Pakistan, has now spent more than three years behind bars. He's held in isolation. His sons, who live abroad, say they fear they may never see their father again, and they've been left waiting for visas just to visit him.
Meanwhile, the army chief, now a Field Marshal, has been handed lifetime legal immunity and command over all of Pakistan's armed forces through a constitutional amendment. Courts, media and politics all bend around one man.
And the West? Silence. He's welcomed in capitals and photographed at the White House showing off Pakistan's rare earth minerals, while deals are signed to dig them up.
It's far easier to strike deals with one man than with 240 million people's elected representatives.
They still call it the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. A republic without free elections or a free opposition is just a name.
Call it what it is. Free Imran Khan. Let Pakistan's people choose.
