Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for leaking state secrets, according to his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). The sentencing took place in connection with a case known as the “Cipher case,” where Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were accused of leaking classified diplomatic communications. Khan, who was removed from office in 2022 and is currently serving a three-year jail term on a corruption conviction, has consistently claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. The Cipher case centered on secret diplomatic communications between Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. and Islamabad, which were allegedly leaked during Khan’s tenure as prime minister.
The PTI, Pakistan’s largest political party, denounced the charges, calling them “ridiculous” and claiming that imprisoning the prime minister and foreign minister for exposing a foreign conspiracy is absurd. Khan, during a rally in March 2022, brandished a document on stage, which he said was evidence of a foreign conspiracy against him. He accused a specific country, without naming it, of wanting to see him removed from power. Subsequently, he was ousted in a vote of no-confidence by opposition lawmakers who alleged corruption and unconstitutional actions.
Khan’s opponents argued that the document was meaningless, while the prosecution in the Cipher case accused him of leaking classified materials and harming diplomatic relations. The former prime minister had initially been critical of the U.S., especially regarding its relationship with Pakistan’s powerful army. However, in a later interview, he expressed a desire to mend Pakistan’s relationship with the U.S., stating that the country he wanted to lead must have good relationships with everyone, including the United States. Despite his popularity across Pakistan, Khan is now barred from standing in the upcoming General Elections on February 8. The political atmosphere in the country has become tense, with arrests of protesters and politicians hampering public willingness to demonstrate against the government.