The aforementioned special court concluded that former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (72 years old) was guilty of publicly disclosing the contents of a secret cable sent by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington D.C. to the government in Islamabad, according to Reuters today, January 30, citing an announcement from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in a similar case.
Previously, Khan stated that the cable related to the case was evidence that the Pakistani military and the US government conspired to overthrow his government in 2022 after his visit to Moscow just before Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Washington and the Pakistani military denied the allegations.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking to the press at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 18, 2023.
The aforementioned prison sentence is the second conviction for Mr. Khan in recent months, and ensures the former prime minister will remain in prison and out of public view ahead of next week's general election, according to Reuters.
PTI said they would appeal the ruling. "We do not accept this illegal decision," Khan's lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, wrote on social media.
Zulfikar Bukhari, an aide to former Prime Minister Khan, told Reuters that the legal team had no opportunity to represent Khan or cross-examine witnesses, while the proceedings were conducted in prison. Bukhari called the conviction an attempt to undermine support for Khan.
Mr. Khan was previously sentenced to three years in prison in a corruption case, which disqualifies him from next week's general election, according to Reuters.
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