Ex-Pakistani premier Imran Khan gets 10-year prison term as election approaches
ISLAMABAD
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was convicted of exposing official secrets and sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, his party said, in the latest setback for the popular leader who ran afoul of the nation’s powerful military.
The verdict, which Khan’s party says was rushed and could be overturned, came nine days before the country of 240 million heads to the polls in a vote that Khan’s party has described as rigged and unfair.
Khan has been in jail since August, when a court convicted him of corruption and sentenced him to three years in prison. Even though that sentence was suspended, he remained in jail as he faced numerous other charges, including that of exposing official secrets, which could have resulted in the death penalty.
The latest accusations centered on Khan’s having in early 2022 publicized details of a secret diplomatic cable that the former prime minister said proved that the United States was behind efforts to oust him.
Tuesday’s court decision followed what Khan’s party called a “sham” trial. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said it would appeal the sentence. It had previously accused the Pakistani establishment of deliberately rushing the sentencing to coincide with the most intense phase of campaigning ahead of next week’s general election.
With Khan barred from running for public office, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif — himself once toppled in a military coup — is most likely to be Pakistan’s next leader. He returned in October from self-imposed exile in London after rebuilding trust with the military.
On social media Tuesday, officials linked to Sharif welcomed Khan’s conviction. But although the Pakistani establishment has all but dismantled Khan’s party since he was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022, it does not appear to have dented his widespread popularity.
The PTI says it has faced numerous restrictions during its campaign, including a court’s ordering the removal of its recognizable cricket bat symbol from ballot papers. Khan is a former star international cricketer.
Pakistan’s caretaker government has defended these measures as legal and necessary to maintain stability. It points to accusations that Khan’s party deliberately stirred tensions against the military when police first tried to arrest him early last year, sparking violent unrest.
Sarwar Bari, a Pakistani political scientist, said that while Tuesday’s ruling is a new setback for Khan, it was not unexpected.
“It was bound to happen, given what the PTI has been experiencing for the last two years,” Bari said. But he cautioned that rather than deterring Khan’s supporters from voting for the PTI next week, the 10-year prison sentence could stoke unpredictable tensions.