Pakistan election battlegrounds heat up as Imran Khan hit by jail terms

Nawaz Sharif bets on biggest province Punjab; the smallest, Balochistan, matters to China

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A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a rally in Lahore on Jan. 28. This week, Khan was handed 10- and 14-year jail sentences on consecutive days. © AP

ADNAN AAMIR, Contributing writer

LAHORE -- With Pakistan set to go to the polls in one week and former Prime Minister Imran Khan reeling from multiple decade-long jail sentences, the race is heating up in the country's most populous province of Punjab.

At the same time, the outcome in the smallest province by population, Balochistan, is sure to be closely watched by China, as the restive region forms the heart of its Belt and Road investments in the South Asian nation.

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