Imran Khan 10-Year jailed for leaking state secrets
A Pakistani court has handed down a 10-year prison sentence to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in connection with a case involving the leakage of state secrets.
The verdict was delivered by a special court located in a Rawalpindi prison on Tuesday, marking the culmination of the so-called cypher case. This legal proceeding revolves around a diplomatic cable that Khan contends provides evidence supporting his claim that his ousting from power in 2022 was orchestrated as part of a conspiracy.
Under the purview of the Official Secrets Act, the court found Khan guilty of mishandling the confidential cable dispatched by a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States.
Despite Khan's repeated denials of the charges, he maintains that the document in question contains proof that his removal as prime minister was a scheme orchestrated by his political adversaries and the influential military, allegedly with assistance from the US administration. Both Washington and Islamabad have refuted these allegations.
Imran Khan served as Pakistan's premier from August 2018 to April 2022, when he faced a vote of confidence in parliament resulting in his loss of power. He has been in custody since August of the previous year, facing multiple charges, including those related to the cypher case.
The sentencing against the country’s main opposition leader khan comes about a week before the general elections scheduled on February 8.
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