Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was found guilty of breaking the Official Secrets Act of the country by disclosing a diplomatic cable to the public while he was in office. As a result, the court sentenced him to ten years in prison.
The order was issued on Tuesday by special court judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, according to a text message from Imran Khan’s attorney, Shoaib Shaheen. According to him, the same case resulted in the 10-year sentence for his former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
A higher court may hear an appeal by Imran Khan about the decision.
The lawsuit concerns claims that Imran Khan disclosed to the government in Islamabad the contents of a covert cable that the nation’s ambassador in Washington transmitted.
Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister, were both given 10-year sentences by a special court, according to the party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). It declared that the party would appeal the ruling and referred to it as a “sham case”.
“Pakistan supports Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who stood up for Haqeeqi Azadi and defended Pakistan.” The PTI stated on X (formerly Twitter) that “no such sham trial can change what happened in March-April 2022, on the orders of Donald Lu.”
In addition, the PTI called the Cypher case a “complete mockery and disregard of law” and urged people to cast ballots in the general elections scheduled for February 8.
It continued, saying, “Insha’Allah, Kaptaan and Vice Kaptaan will return soon and this sentence will be adustbin in the appeal stage.”