ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court on Tuesday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of his party lawmakers to 10 years in prison each after finding them guilty of disclosing official secrets. The verdict was met with strong criticism from Khan's supporters.
It was also another blow for Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022 and is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in a bribery case.
According to Zulfiqar Bukhari, chief spokesman for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI), the verdict was handed down by a special court set up at the prison in the garrison town of Rawalpindi where Khan is being held. Authorities said Khan and his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was also sentenced to 10 years in prison, had the right to appeal Tuesday's verdict in the case popularly known as “Cipher.”
Khan's legal team planned to appeal the verdict in the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday.
The ruling comes ahead of Pakistan's February 8 general election – an election in which Khan is barred from running due to his previous criminal conviction.
Although he is not running in the election, Khan remains a strong political force due to his grassroots following and anti-establishment rhetoric. He says the lawsuits against him were a conspiracy to keep him out of the vote.
Violent demonstrations broke out in Pakistan after Khan's arrest in May 2023, and authorities have since cracked down on his supporters and party.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said there was little chance of a free and fair general election next month because of “pre-election manipulation.” It also expressed concern that authorities are rejecting the candidacies of Khan and senior figures in his party.
The Cipher case is one of more than 150 cases against Khan. Other charges range from contempt of court to terrorism and incitement to violence.
In the Cipher case, Khan is said to have waved a confidential document – a secret telegram – at a rally after his fall. The document was not released by the government or Khan's lawyers, but was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.
During the speech, Khan claimed that the document was evidence that he had been threatened and that his overthrow was a US conspiracy allegedly carried out by the military and government in Pakistan. Officials in Washington and Pakistan have denied the claim.
Khan's party said in a statement that it stood with Khan and Qureshi “who defended Pakistan and stood for real independence.” PTI described the proceedings as a “mock trial” and said the judge did not even allow Khan and Qureshi's lawyers to defend them.
However, the party urged its supporters to remain peaceful and not resort to violence until the verdict is appealed through the courts.
“We should harness and channel these energies for election day” on February 8 to ensure that Khan’s candidates win the vote “overwhelmingly,” said Omar Ayub, a longtime Khan supporter. “PTI will continue its fight to bring Pakistan on a democratic path to ensure supremacy of law and constitution,” he said.
During the trial, the PTI feared that Khan could be sentenced to death for treason. Khan maintains his innocence and says he did not reveal the exact contents of the telegram. Qureshi was accused of manipulating the contents of a diplomatic cable to gain political advantage.
Political analyst Muhammad Ali said the latest verdict was expected for both Khan and his deputy. In his opinion, the two men “actually damaged Pakistan's diplomatic relations with the United States and also embarrassed then Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed to the United States,” Ali said.