Imran Khan gets 10-year jail

Former prime minister Imran Khan and one of his party deputies have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each by a Pakistani court for revealing official secrets on Tuesday, 30 January.

This verdict adds to the challenges faced by Khan, who was previously removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and is currently serving a prison sentence in a corruption case.

The court announced the verdict in the city of Rawalpindi, and Khan and his deputy who also received a 10-year sentence, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, have the right to appeal Tuesday’s ruling in the case, popularly known as the Cipher case.

Despite not being on the ballot, Khan still holds significant influence due to his grassroots support and anti-establishment stance. He believes that the legal cases against him are an attempt to sideline him before the elections. Pakistan has witnessed violent protests since Khan's arrest in May 2023, with authorities cracking down on his supporters and party. Concerns have been raised about the fairness of the upcoming election, with the independent human rights commission highlighting instances of pre-poll rigging and the rejection of Khan's candidacy.

The Cipher case is just one of many pending against Khan, with charges ranging from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence. 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.

During the speech, Khan claiming the document was proof he was being threatened and that his ouster was a U.S. conspiracy, allegedly executed by the military and the government in Pakistan. Washington and Pakistani officials have denied the claim.
Tuesday's verdict comes weeks after Khan and Qureshi were indicted in the case.

During the trial, Khan’s party and supporters had feared he could be sentenced to death for treason. Khan has maintained his innocence and says he didn’t disclose the exact contents of the cable. Qureshi was accused of manipulating the contents of a diplomatic cable to gain political advantage.

Political analyst Syed Muhammad Ali said the latest verdict was expected. The two “indeed damaged Pakistan’s diplomatic ties with the United States, and they also embarrassed the then-Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed to the United States,” he said.