Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

Former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan was reportedly sentenced to 10 years in jail on Tuesday, as confirmed by state media and a spokesman for his party.

This verdict stems from a contentious case linked to a leaked document.

The sentence was issued after a trial conducted within the confines of the jail where Khan has been held since his arrest in August. The timing of this ruling is significant as Pakistan prepares for elections scheduled for February 8th.

“Former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) vice-president (Shah Mahmood) Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each inside prison in the cypher case,” a spokesman for the party told AFP.

The case revolves around the handling of a purported “cypher” message sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, which alleged Washington’s complicity in a scheme to remove Khan from office in 2022.

With less than two weeks until the polls, millions of people are set to vote in a campaign overshadowed by accusations of pre-vote rigging and significant suppression of Khan’s party.