Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for leaking state secrets. 

Along with one of his party deputies, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Khan was previously found guilty of revealing official secrets.

According to Zulfiqar Bukhari, spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the court announced the verdict on Jan. 30, during a hearing at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

Khan, 71, was previously ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022 and is already serving a three-year prison sentence in a corruption case. He has been in jail since August 2023 and claims that the charges are politically motivated.

The sentencing of the cricketer-turned-politician is a part of what is popularly known as the Cipher case and in relation to a diplomatic cable that Khan claims proved his allegations that a conspiracy existed to remove him from power in 2022.

The latest development comes just a week ahead of the February 8 parliamentary elections in the country.

Khan’s team is likely to appeal against today’s ruling and whilst he won’t be on the ballot in next month’s elections, he remains a potent political force in Pakistan. This is because of a significant grassroots following combined with an anti-establishment rhetoric.

Recently, Khan’s supporters held nationwide rallies across Pakistan, some of which descended into violence, leading to clashes with police. They raised slogans against the caretaker government who they warn has been trying to keep the PTI party out of the upcoming elections.