A special court, operating under the Official Secrets Act, has handed down a 10-year jail sentence to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. This case centers around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency claims Imran failed to return. The PTI argues that the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister.
This verdict arrives just over a week before the February 8 general elections, where the PTI is participating amidst a government crackdown on the party and without an electoral symbol. Notably, this marks Imran’s second conviction, with a previous conviction in the Toshakhana case resulting in a three-year prison sentence. While the Islamabad High Court initially suspended his sentence, the suspension was later rejected after Imran’s petition.
Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain announced the verdict after both Imran and Qureshi responded to a questionnaire. Following Imran’s statement about the cipher’s whereabouts, the judge sentenced both to 10 years in jail. After the verdict, Qureshi protested that his statement was not recorded as the judge left the courtroom.
