Former Pakistan Prime Minister Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Leaking State Secrets

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Pakistan’s former leader, Imran Khan, has been handed a 10-year prison sentence for purportedly leaking state secrets, his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The closed-door hearing, conducted under the Official Secrets Act, took place at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are already serving sentences on corruption charges. PTI emphasized that both individuals intend to contest the decision in a higher court, hoping to secure a suspension of their sentences.

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This sentencing adds to a series of legal confrontations faced by Khan and comes just before the forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for February 8, which the ousted former leader is disqualified from contesting due to his prior conviction.

Dubbed the “cypher case,” the recent sentencing stems from accusations against Khan for leaking an encrypted diplomatic cable penned by a Pakistani diplomat in March 2022, purportedly based on a meeting with a US State Department official. Khan, in turn, had asserted that the document served as evidence of a conspiracy to unseat him from power through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.

Following his ouster, Khan sparked massive rallies across Pakistan, expressing his belief that Pakistani officials colluded with the country’s influential military and the US to orchestrate his removal from office. Despite drawing widespread public support during these rallies, he has since been confronted with an array of legal entanglements, with numerous pending cases against him.

READ ALSO: Former Central Bank Governor Of Burundi Arrested On Money Laundering And Misappropriation Charges

Since August, Khan has been incarcerated after being found guilty of corruption, warranting a three-year prison sentence. Despite his ineligibility to participate in the upcoming polls, his enduring popularity continues to underscore his significance as a pivotal political figure.

Khan has continuously asserted that the charges against him are politically driven, a claim refuted by authorities. Restrictions on media coverage have enforced a ban on broadcasting Khan’s speeches, and several members of his PTI party have been detained, underscoring the influential and polarizing nature of his political influence.

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Source: cnn

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