Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party’s deputy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were sentenced to 10 years in jail on Tuesday for revealing government secrets.
The conviction was given at a Rawalpindi prison, compounding Khan’s difficulties as he currently serves a three-year sentence in a corruption case. Khan is a well-known cricketer who later became an Islamist politician.
Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokeswoman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, stated that the court’s verdict in the Cypher case authorizes Khan and Qureshi to appeal. This development comes ahead of Pakistan’s February 8 parliamentary elections, in which Khan is unable to participate owing to a past criminal conviction.
The Cypher case is only one of over 150 outstanding accusations against Khan, which range from contempt of court to terrorism and encouragement of violence.
What exactly is the Cypher case against Khan?
In 2023, Pakistan began criminal procedures against Khan for disclosing the country’s official secrets.
The case involves diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad. It concerns the alleged leakage of classified diplomatic communications from Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to Islamabad during Khan’s time as prime minister.
Khan said in 2022 that it was part of a US plot to undermine his administration. However, Washington has repeatedly denied any involvement in such a plot.
The cypher case originates from his involvement in a demonstration in March 2022, a month before his ouster via a motion of no confidence. During the event, Imran Khan held out a paper that he said proved a foreign plot against him. Khan said that the letter indicated that “all will be forgiven if Imran Khan is removed from power.”
In 2023, Azam Khan, Khan’s former main secretary, issued a court statement. Azam alleged that Khan twisted a US diplomatic encrypted letter in March 2022 to promote his political goals.
The prosecution claims that the ex-PM’s conduct constituted the unauthorized leaking of confidential material, presenting a risk to diplomatic relations. The latter charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.
Imran Khan has been in jail since August, following his conviction on corruption charges in a separate case.
What did Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf say?
Khan’s Party PTI stated in a tweet on X, previously Twitter, that “despite enduring cruelty and fascism for the integrity of Pakistan, the same message of the captain and vice-captain is “Slavery is not allowed”.
The party stated, “Pakistan stands with Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who defended Pakistan and supported Haqeeqi Azadi. No such fake trial can affect what transpired in March-April 2022, per Donald Lu’s directives.”
It stated in another post, “If anyone wants to realize how phoney this trial was, one tweet is plenty. “This is a disgusting and shameful mockery of the law.”
The PTI went on to say that it was a “complete mockery and disregard of the law in the cypher case,” and urged 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 went on to say.
What are other cases faced by Imran Khan?
The Toshakhana Graft Case involves claims of misuse of gifts obtained from foreign dignitaries during Khan’s leadership. He was found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced to three years in prison, although the sentence was later postponed.
Aside from these two big lawsuits, Khan faces approximately 150 other legal challenges, ranging from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence. Many of these charges have not been tried and entail less severe fines.
The judicial procedures against Khan are very controversial, with his supporters seeing them as political persecution and an attempt to suppress his critics. The forthcoming February 2024 elections in Pakistan add to the situation’s complexity since Khan remains popular despite legal obstacles.
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