The court has sentenced former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PTI Chief Imran Khan to 10 years in jail in the cipher case. Along with Imran, his associate and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has also been sentenced to 10 years.
Imran Khan is currently lodged in Adiala Jail of Rawalpindi and the verdict in this case was pronounced there. This decision of the Special Court is being considered as a big blow for Imran because he wanted to contest general elections in Pakistan. It is believed that after both the leaders have been sentenced to 10 years each, the path to contesting the elections has been closed.
Although he still has avenues of appeal in the higher court, but given the way he is feuding with the army, it is believed that he will not get much relief from the courts. Let us tell you that just before the elections, Imran Khan’s election symbol bat was also taken away from his party.
What is cipher case?
This case of Cipher against Imran and Shah Mahmood Qureshi is related to national security. Imran Khan is accused of making personal use of top secret information. After being ousted from power, Imran had alleged that America was behind his ouster.
For this, Imran said that the Pakistan Embassy in Washington had sent him a cable (tape or secret information). Imran Khan had made a controversial diplomatic conversation public for his political benefit. It was called ‘Cipher’.
General elections in Pakistan on 8 February
Let us tell you that general elections are to be held in Pakistan on 8 February. Before that, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has returned home. He left Pakistan in the year 2019 and started living in Britain. Recently, the High Court had granted bail to Nawaz, after which he returned.
