Imran Khan, former prime minister of Pakistan, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for revealing state secrets. The politician was already disqualified from participating in the next election, scheduled for Feb. 8, due to a conviction for corruption that was handed down last year.
The information was published by AFP, which detailed that "Tuesday's conviction for leaking classified state documents was handed down inside Adiala jail -- where Khan has been confined for much of the time since his August arrest."
#UPDATE Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is sentenced to 10 years in prison, less than two weeks before the country votes in an election his party has been hamstrung from contesting. https://t.co/pYJ3Aap0VB
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 30, 2024
As reported by NBC News, "Khan is alleged to have waved a confidential document — a classified cable — at a rally after he was toppled. The document — dubbed Cipher — has not been made public by either the government or Khan’s lawyers but was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad."
Meanwhile, Khan has insisted that the accusations against him are due to a plot of political persecution. On X (formerly Twitter), the politician stated that the decision is due to an "illegal" trial and that it is "a complete mockery of the law and justice in the country."
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's lawyer gives out details exposing the illegal manner in which the sham cypher case trial by a Kangaroo court was conducted inside prison, making a complete mockery of law and justice in the country. pic.twitter.com/jFf2P0TWES
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 30, 2024
"My Pakistanis! This is their war and this is their proof that they must take revenge for every injustice with their vote on Feb. 8 while remaining peaceful," he highlighted in a message posted on the platform hours before the decision became known.
سائفر کیس پر عمران خان کا پیغام:
میرے پاکستانیو! آپ سب نے یقیناً اب تک میرے وکلا سے سن لیا ہوگا کہ کس طرح آئینی تقاضوں اور قانونی ضابطوں کو روندتے ہوئے سائفر سمیت دیگر جھوٹے کیسز کا ٹرائل مکمل کیا جارہا ہے۔
یاد رکھیں کہ سائفر وہ کیس ہے جس کو دو دفعہ اسلام آباد ہایئکورٹ کالعدم…
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 30, 2024
