Accused of revealing state secrets, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, already imprisoned since last August, was sentenced to ten years in prison. A ruling that occurs less than ten days before the legislative and provincial elections on February 8. One of the deputies from Khan's political party, the Pakistan Justice Movement, received the same sentence.
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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to ten years in prison for a case of disclosure of classified documentsconfirmed this Tuesday, January 30, his political party, the Pakistan Justice Movement.
Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and number two in the party founded by Khan “were sentenced to ten years in prison,” a spokesman for their political group told AFP.
The former premier, removed from office in April 2022 by a motion of no confidence, has been behind bars since last August and has been declared ineligible for public office for five years.
The sentence is known less than 10 days before the legislative and provincial electionsscheduled for next February 8, whose campaign was marked by accusations of fraud and repression against Khan's political movement.
“Farce of Justice”
At the center of this matter is a diplomatic cable from Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, which Imran Khan presented as evidence of an alleged plot by Washington against him, supported by the Pakistani Army.
But far from supporting his accusation with the evidence he showed, the country's former leader was accused last October, under the Official Secrets Law, which dates back to colonial times. The trial was held in the prison where he is being held.
After learning of the ruling, His Pakistan Justice Movement denounced a “farce of justice” and announced that it would appeal the decision.
Salman Safdar, a lawyer for that bench, assured AFP that Imran Khan's legal team was not allowed to assist him throughout the trial. “It is unconstitutional and contrary to the very principle of Justice,” he lamented.
Khan, a former cricket star who came to power in 2018 and was ousted nearly two years ago, enjoys immense popular support in his country. But his campaign of defiance against the powerful establishment military met with a severe reaction.
His arrest in May 2023 unleashed the anger of his thousands of followers, who launched violent demonstrations, while the authorities responded with mass arrests of supporters and leaders of the former prime minister's party.
The Justice Movement of Pakistan faces a paralysis of activities in the period before the vote: its rallies were banned, the party symbol was banned and dozens of its candidates cannot run in the elections.
An Army that intervenes in the Government
Imran Khan accuses the military institution – which helped him come to power in 2018, but whose support he has since lost, according to analysts – of trying to prevent him from regaining the leadership of his nation.
The Pakistan Muslim League, of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was head of government three times without completing any of his terms, is the favorite party in the upcoming elections.
Sharif returned to Pakistan last October, after four years of exile in London. Some political analysts believe that he reached an agreement with the military, whom he accused until recently of ousting him from power in 2017 to favor Imran Khan's electoral victory a year later.
This article was adapted from its original French version
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