In another setback for the imprisoned former cricket star ahead of the anticipated January general election, a Pakistani court on Monday accused former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his deputy in an official secrets acts case, according to his party.
Khan is suspected of leaking a confidential cable that Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington transmitted to Islamabad at the beginning of the year, which is the subject of the indictment. Khan disputes that, claiming that other sources’ media reports of its contents were published.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan’s party, and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Quershi were indicted by a special court, the party informed the media, adding that the trial will start on Friday. It declared that it will contest the indictment.
Because Khan had travelled to Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he claimed the cable demonstrated a plot by the United States to pressure the Pakistani military to remove him from office through a parliamentary vote in 2022. the Pakistani military as well as the United States deny Khan’s claim.
After losing the 2022 motion of no confidence, Khan was pushed from office and organised rallies against the government to demand an early general election as well as against the military, whom he said was attempting to marginalise him.
That was refuted by the military, which has held direct power for protracted periods of time and exerted influence over civilian administrations.
Khan has been the target of many legal actions, which he has described as an attempt to remove him from the political scene. In one corruption case, he was found guilty and given a three-year prison sentence. Although the sentence was suspended, he is still behind bars in relation to other crimes, such as inciting violence and the case involving state secrets.
According to attorneys, a guilty finding under the Official Secrets Act may result in a term of up to 14 years in jail or possibly execution. According to Khan’s party, the hearing on Monday was held behind closed doors and without access for the media or the general public in Adyala Jail, which is located close to Islamabad.
Khan’s graft conviction disqualifies him from the 2018 general election, but his legal team is attempting to have him released on bail before to the poll.
Following his return from four years of self-imposed exile, Khan’s longtime adversary and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif began his party’s election campaign on Saturday by pledging to combat inflation.
