Imran Khan, the former leader of Pakistan, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for disclosing state secrets, his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Based on a conversation with a US State Department official, Khan was suspected of leaking an encrypted diplomatic cable written by a Pakistani diplomat in March 2022. This accusation led to Tuesday’s sentencing in the case, also known as the “cipher case.”
Khan stated that the document demonstrated a plot to remove him from office after he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022.
The hearing was held on Tuesday in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, a closed court created under the Official Secrets Act. Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have been detained for corruption.
The sentence is the most recent in a long line of court cases that Khan has been involved in. The parliamentary elections are set for February 8, a vote that the deposed former leader cannot participate in because of his prior conviction.
After losing a vote of confidence in the House, Khan led Pakistan as prime minister from August 2018 until April 2022. He has been incarcerated since August of last year and has been on trial in several cases.
Because of his immense popularity, he is still a powerful political force, even if he cannot stand in the next election. Authorities refute Khan’s claim that the accusations made against him are politically motivated.
Many of Khan’s PTI party colleagues have been imprisoned, and TV stations are not allowed to air his talks.
