Source: BBC
On charges of disclosing state secrets, former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan received a 10-year prison term.
Khan's opponents deposed him in 2022 and removed him from office as prime minister, while he was already serving a three-year prison term for corruption.
He claims that every accusation leveled against him is politically biased. He is disqualified from running in the main election because of his conviction under the Secrets Act, which occurred one week prior to the election.
A separate court established within Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi found both men guilty and sentenced them to 10 years in prison. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who served as vice chairman of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was also found guilty.
As prime minister, Khan is at the center of the so-called cipher case, which centers on the purported disclosure of classified diplomatic messages sent between Islamabad and Pakistan's embassy in Washington.
His March 2022 rally appearance is relevant to this, as it was one month prior to the former cricketer's ouster from office due to a vote of no confidence. On stage, Imran Khan waved a piece of paper that he said proved an international plot against him. He claimed that this document declared, "All will be forgiven if Imran Khan is removed from power."
Afterwards, he became severely critical of the US, although he did not specify which country it was. The prosecution claimed that the former prime minister's behavior was tantamount to compromising diplomatic ties by disclosing a secret document.
That second allegation carries the potential for the death penalty or a life sentence in prison. You may have found Imran Khan at Adiala prison since August. The special court did not grant entry to any members of the international media during the past several months of hearings.
Apparently, someone in authority recently instructed the judge to speed up the trial, according to the local media. Claiming that the court's decision was a farce, a PTI spokesman announced that the party would be challenging it.
Posting on X, the former prime minister's lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, stated, "We don't accept this illegal decision." Panjutha is currently involved in a number of related legal battles.
Allegations that the authorities are preventing the PTI from campaigning have not deterred the general election from taking place on February 8.
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