Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi sentenced to 10 years in jail in cipher case.
The cipher case is related to a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet was never returned by Imran. PTI has long maintained that this document contained a threat from the US to remove Imran from the post of Prime Minister.
The decision comes nine days ahead of the February 8 general elections, which the PTI is contesting amid a statewide crackdown and without an election symbol.
90,675 polling stations set up in the country for general elections
Both Imran and Qureshi have been in jail before the elections. After Imran’s candidature was rejected, Qureshi was allowed to contest for the National Assembly seat from Thar. But today’s sentence means both of them are disqualified from contesting elections for the next five years.
This is Imran’s second conviction as he was also convicted in the Tosha Khana case on August 5 and sentenced to three years in prison. His sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). However, a division bench later rejected Imran’s plea to suspend the sentence.
This is the former foreign minister’s first conviction.
Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain pronounced the verdict in the case. At the beginning of the hearing, Imran and Qureshi were given a questionnaire under Section 342 (power to examine the accused) of the Criminal Code.
After recording Imran’s statement, the court asked him about the whereabouts of the cipher, to which he replied that I have said the same in my statement which I do not know. The cipher was in my office.”
The judge then sentenced both of them to 10 years in prison in the case. After pronouncing the verdict, the judge left the courtroom to which Qureshi protested saying that his statement was not recorded.
Speaking informally to reporters after the hearing, Imran alleged that former Army Chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had “conspired” against his government for “expansion”.
“Bajwa wanted another extension in November. Shahbaz Sharif had promised him an extension,” the former prime minister claimed, adding that PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif prevented it from happening because he knew the former army chief’s men were part of the team investigating the Panama Papers case.