Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment this week. This event took place alongside the sentencing of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who received an equivalent punishment.
Currently serving a three-year sentence on corruption charges, Khan was tried under accusations of “use of official secret information and illegal retention of a cypher telegram with malafide intention,” as reported by the Jurist. These allegations arose after Khan’s removal from the prime ministerial position in 2022, during which he held an opposition rally. He claimed to possess a letter indicating that his dismissal was orchestrated by an unidentified foreign power. Subsequently, both Khan and Qureshi were apprehended on charges of disclosing official secrets.
Notably, Khan’s legal team expressed concern about the trial’s process. They stated that about eighteen witnesses were interviewed, but the lawyers were not permitted to cross-examine these individuals or to defend their clients. Disagreeing with the manner of the judge and the way the trial concluded, Khan’s lawyers declared this legal process as constitutional and “against the principles of natural justice.”
This sentence was ruled just before the general elections of Pakistan, in which Khan is no longer allowed to participate. Still, he spoke out to his supporters, encouraging them to vote in the February 8 elections to “take revenge for every injustice.”
Despite this situation, Khan’s lawyer maintains that there will be an appeal to the Islamabad High Court against these sentences. He expressed an optimistic outlook, commenting, “It will not take us ten seconds in the Islamabad High Court … [the convictions] will be quashed straight away.”
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