Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, already embroiled in a three-year corruption sentence, has been dealt another blow just ahead of the country’s general elections. A court found him guilty of leaking state secrets and slapped him with a 10-year jail term.
The special court in capital Islamabad on Tuesday announced the sentence in the so-called cypher case, which pertains to a diplomatic cable that Khan claims proves his allegation that his removal from power in 2022 was a conspiracy.
Khan, ousted from power in 2022, vehemently denies all charges against him, claiming they are politically motivated attempts to silence him.
Khan’s supporters maintain his innocence and see the verdict as a desperate move by his opponents to sideline him from the upcoming polls. Khan himself is barred from contesting due to the earlier corruption conviction, but his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), remains a major force in the political landscape.