The PML-N and PPP on Tuesday lauded the 10-year prison sentence handed down to the incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the cipher case. However, Khan’s party rejected the decision and opted to challenge it in the high court.
Earlier in the day, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act imposed a 10-year jail term on Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for leaking state secrets.
The cipher case revolves around a diplomatic cable, referred to as the cipher, that Khan brandished at a public rally on March 27, 2022. In the cable, Khan named the US and alleged it as evidence of an ‘international conspiracy’ to overthrow his government.
The Federal Investigation Agency filed the case against Khan, 71, and Qureshi, 67, on August 15 last year, accusing them of violating secrecy laws while handling the cable sent by the Pakistan embassy in Washington in March 2022. Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Imprisoned Khan has claimed that the powerful military establishment favored the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif and that he is being targeted to prevent his return to power.
“The PML-N hails this decision. Today Imran Khan paid the price for playing with the national security,” senior leader and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said in a statement.
“If you play with national security matters, you will be duly punished. The state secrets can’t be made public. Imran Khan still has a Supreme Court forum to appeal against this decision,” he said.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Sharjeel Memon said Khan tried to gain political mileage by making the cipher public. “Cipher was not a conspiracy against Pakistan (by the US). Khan shouldn’t have used it for his political purpose as he put his political interest above the country. He is not a genuine leader that’s why he did so,” Memon said.
“It was not a small case as Khan tried to save his government by playing this dangerous game,” he added.
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan expressed regret over the decision, urging all political players to engage in dialogue to strengthen democracy in the country.
Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, claimed that the military establishment wants to impose the death penalty on Imran Khan. She urged PTI supporters to seek revenge by voting for PTI candidates in the February 8 elections.
PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan rejected the judgment, calling it a “fake and fraudulent cipher case” and alleging a biased trial conducted in an intimidating environment inside the jail. He vowed to pursue all constitutional and legal means to secure justice for Khan, PTI, and Qureshi.
