Hannah Ellis-Petersen

Former Pakistan prime minister condemns trial as ‘a joke’ amid crackdown on his political party in run-up to general election.

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for leaking official secrets, amid a crackdown on his political party prior to upcoming elections.

The sentence is the harshest yet against Khan, who has been held in jail since August.

The case relates to a diplomatic cable that allegedly went missing while in his possession. Khan had publicly cited the cable as proof there was a conspiracy behind his fall from power in 2022 but had denied taking it from the ministry of foreign affairs.

The legal proceedings were highly unusual. They were held not in a courtroom but in the prison in Rawalpindi where Khan is being held, and were conducted behind closed doors, which Khan’s lawyers protested was unconstitutional.

The trial was described by Khan as “a joke” and a sham, as both the prosecution and defence teams were government-appointed lawyers and Khan’s lawyers were not allowed to cross-examine witnesses. Khan’s request that senior army figures testify as witnesses was also refused by the court.

“It was obvious that it was a predetermined decision and verdict, Imran Khan’s legal team was not even given a chance to speak,” said Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, Imran Khan’s former adviser. “This was only done in such a rush to convict Imran Khan prior to the upcoming election. The hearings were not done lawfully and we will challenge it in the high court.”

Khan’s deputy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who had also pleaded not guilty in the same case, was sentenced to 10 years under the official secrets act. Their lawyers said they would be appealing against the ruling.

The 10-year sentence handed to Khan on Tuesday is just the latest saga to befall the former prime minister since he was toppled from power in April 2022 and began publicly blaming Pakistan’s powerful army generals for orchestrating his downfall.

After accusing the army establishment of having a grudge against him and ordering his imprisonment, Khan was sentenced to three years in jail in August in a separate corruption case and was arrested. A judge later suspended the sentence but Khan was kept in jail after more charges were brought against him relating to the missing diplomatic cable.

Khan has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that the cases against him were to prevent from running in the general election, which will be held on 8 February but has already been tarred by accusations of pre-poll rigging.

Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party remain highly popular among voters. However, Khan’s convictions mean he is barred from running while PTI has faced a months-long crackdown by the government and the military which has prevented it from being able to freely campaign.

Thousands of rank and file members have been detained, harassed and prevented from holding rallies while almost all senior leadership were arrested or allegedly pressured into leaving the party.

In the buildup to next week’s election, the election commission banned PTI from using its signature symbol of the cricket bat – which the party has alleged is a ploy to obstruct its campaigning – and rejected PTI candidates from running. Instructions have also been issued to journalists and television news channels not to mention PTI as part of their election coverage.

With Khan behind bars, critics and analysts say next week’s election is likely to be undemocratic and lack legitimacy.

The frontrunner is widely accepted to be the three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is said to have the backing of the country’s powerful military establishment. The courts recently cleared Sharif of a lifetime ban from politics, paving the way for his return to power for a fourth time. The military has denied any involvement and said it remains apolitical.

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Via https://themuslimtimes.info/2024/01/30/imran-khan-handed-10-years-in-prison-for-leaking-state-secrets/