A special court established under the Official Secrets Act on Tuesday handed both former premier Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi 10 years in jail in the cipher case.
The judgment is delivered just over a week before the general elections scheduled for February 8, in which the PTI is participating amidst a government crackdown on the party and without an assigned electoral symbol.
The cipher case revolves around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet claims was never returned by Imran. The PTI has consistently asserted that the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister.
In December, the Supreme Court granted post-arrest bails to Imran and Qureshi. While Imran remained in custody for other cases, Qureshi’s anticipated release faced delays as he was mistreated and re-arrested in a new case on May 9.
