On Tuesday, state media and a spokesperson for Imran Khan’s party confirmed that the former Pakistan prime minister has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with a contentious case related to a leaked document.
The sentence was pronounced after a trial conducted within the confines of the jail where Khan has been held since his arrest in August. This development comes amidst the country’s preparations for polls scheduled on February 8.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party stated, “Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI vice-president (Shah Mahmood) Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each inside prison in the cypher case.” The case revolves around their handling of a “cypher” dispatched by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, which claimed that Washington was involved in a conspiracy to remove Khan from office in 2022.
With millions set to cast their votes in less than two weeks, the election campaign has been marred by accusations of pre-vote rigging, and Khan’s party has reportedly faced significant suppression.