Imran Khan, the PTI chairman and a former prime minister of Pakistan, received a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the cipher case. In addition to Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the PTI, received a 10-year prison sentence. Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain of the special court made the announcement verbally at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, according to Geo News. This prison sentence also occurs one week prior to the February 8 Pakistani General Elections of 2024.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, is charged with stealing a diplomatic cable from the Pakistani embassy in Washington, DC. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister and vice chairman of the PTI, was also charged with contributing to the leak along with Kha.
The two PTI leaders’ hearing started on December 2, 2023, following the declaration in November 2023 that Khan’s jail trial was unlawful and that the proceedings were void by the Islamabad High Court. Since September 26, 2-23, Imran Khan has been detained at the high-security Adiala Jail. Due to his involvement in the cipher case, Qureshi was also detained and placed in Adiala Jail alongside Khan. August 2023 saw the official opening of the Cipher Case following the suspension of Khan’s indictment in the Toshakhana case. The politician who was formerly a cricket player is charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act.
The cable, which was sent from the Pakistani Embassy in the US, purportedly contained instructions from the US to overthrow the PTI government and file a motion of no confidence against Khan, which would eventually result in his removal from office in April 2022. Approximately 150 cases have been filed against Khan since his ousting, most of which involve corruption.
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