Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his party's deputy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, received 10-year prison sentences on Tuesday for disclosing official secrets.
The verdict was announced at a prison in Rawalpindi, adding to Khan's challenges as he is already serving a three-year sentence in a corruption case. Khan is a renowned cricket star who transitioned into an Islamist politician.
Zulfiqar Bukhari, spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, mentioned that the court's decision, part of the Cipher case, allows both Khan and Qureshi to appeal.
This development precedes Pakistan's February 8 parliamentary elections, where Khan is ineligible to run due to a prior criminal conviction.
The Cipher case is just one among over 150 pending cases against Khan, with other charges spanning from contempt of court to allegations of terrorism and incitement of violence.
What is the Cipher case against Khan?
Pakistan opened criminal proceedings against Khan for exposing the country's official secrets in 2023.
The case pertains to diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad. It involves the purported disclosure of confidential diplomatic communication from Pakistan's ambassador in Washington to Islamabad during Khan's tenure as prime minister.
Khan asserted in 2022 that it was part of a US conspiracy to overthrow his government. However, Washington has consistently denied any involvement in such a conspiracy.
{{/usCountry}}Khan asserted in 2022 that it was part of a US conspiracy to overthrow his government. However, Washington has consistently denied any involvement in such a conspiracy.
{{/usCountry}}The cipher case stems from his participation in a rally in March 2022, a month before his removal through a vote of no confidence. During the rally, Imran Khan brandished a document, claiming it revealed a foreign conspiracy against him, BBC reported. Khan said the letter stated that “all will be forgiven if Imran Khan is removed from power”.
Khan's former principal secretary, Azam Khan, made a court statement in 2023. Azam stated that a US diplomatic encrypted letter had been manipulated by Khan in March 2022 to further his political objectives, Reuters reported.
The prosecution has asserted that the ex-PM's actions constituted the unauthorized disclosure of a classified document, posing a threat to diplomatic relations. The latter charge carries the potential for life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Imran Khan has been in jail since August after his conviction on corruption charges in a separate case.
What has Khan's party PTI said?
Khan's party PTI said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Despite enduring cruelty and fascism for the integrity of Pakistan, the same message of the captain and vice-captain is "Slavery is not accepted".”
The party said, “Pakistan stands with Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who defended Pakistan and stood for Haqeeqi Azadi. No such sham trial can change what happened in March- April 2022, on the orders of Donald Lu.”
It said in another post, “If anyone wants to understand how sham this trial was, this tweet here is enough. Absolutely disgusting and shameful mockery of law.”
The PTI added that it was a “complete mockery and disregard of law in the cypher case”, urging people to vote in the February 8 general elections.
“InshAllah Kaptaan and Vice Kaptaan will be back soon, and this sentence will be in a dustbin in the appeal stage,” it added.