Imran Khan sentenced to ten years before Pakistan elections

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, the latest twist in what is widely seen as a campaign by the military to keep one of his top critics out of politics.

The verdict, handed down in a case in which Mr Khan is accused of leaking state secrets, came about a week before Pakistan was due to go to the polls in its first national election since he was ousted following a vote of no confidence in the government. April 2022.

Analysts have called the election one of the least credible in Pakistan's 76-year history because of the military's widespread crackdown on Mr Khan and his supporters.

His ouster set off a political confrontation between Mr Khan and the country's powerful military, which has long been the invisible hand guiding the country's politics. Mr Khan and his supporters have accused military leaders of orchestrating his removal – an accusation they deny.

The country has been embroiled in the political crisis sparked by Mr Khan's ouster for a year and a half. As Mr Khan and his supporters have railed against the country's generals, public anger against the military has grown. In May, hundreds of protesters attacked military installations in scenes once unthinkable in Pakistan.

In response, the military launched a widespread campaign of intimidation aimed at weakening Mr. Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, and curbing the remarkable political comeback he has made even while imprisoned and was barred from contesting national elections. election next week.

The verdict was handed down on Tuesday by a special court set up earlier this year, which analysts say is more respectful of the military's wishes. Mr Khan has called the trial a “fixed match”, suggesting the outcome was predetermined, and his party said it would appeal the verdict.

“This ten-year prison sentence will not stand for ten days in the appellate courts. Such blatant disregard for the law and the Constitution has never been witnessed before,” said Taimur Malik, one of Mr Khan's lawyers. said in a post on Xformerly known as Twitter.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and close aide to Mr Khan, was also given a 10-year prison sentence on Tuesday in the same case.

Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad.