“Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was found guilty of leaking state secrets and was given a 10-year prison sentence. Khan, who was ousted from the prime ministership by his rivals in 2022, is currently incarcerated for three years due to corruption.

All of the accusations made against him, according to him, are driven by politics. A week ago, he was barred from running in the general elections under the Official Secrets Act.

The former international cricket player later called on the public to “peacefully take revenge through their votes on February 8th” in a message posted on his former Twitter account. He persisted, urging them to convey the message that we are not docile creatures to be guided by a mere rod.

The special court that was established within Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where both of them are currently being incarcerated, also handed down a 10-year prison term to Imran Khan’s vice president, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister and vice president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The ‘zero-case’, as it is known, concerns exposed private diplomatic cables that Pakistan’s Washington embassy sent out when Prime Minister Khan was in office.

This is related to his attendance at a protest in March 2022, one month before to his removal from office by a vote of no confidence. On stage, Imran Khan was seen waving a piece of paper and asserting that it was proof of an international plot against him.

Nationwide protests were organized by Imran Khan’s supporters following his imprisonment on May 9. “On May 9, following Imran Khan’s arrest, his supporters staged nationwide protests,” the image’s caption says.

He went on, “Everything will be forgiven if Imran Khan is removed from power.” Although he did not specifically address the nation, he subsequently delivered harsh criticism to the US.

The prosecution maintained that the former prime minister’s acts resembled the disclosure of a secret document and the deterioration of political ties. The following accusations could result in the death penalty or life in prison.

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Imran Khan has spent the most of his time confined at Adiala Jail since his detention in August. The international media has not been allowed to participate in the special court’s continuing proceedings for a number of months.

The judge was recently persuaded to accelerate the case, according to local media. A PTI spokesman called the court’s ruling absurd and declared that they would contest it.

Attorney Naeem Panjutha, representing Imran Khan in a number of other court issues, wrote on Twitter, saying, “We do not accept this illegal decision.”

Another Khan associate said that although their legal team did not have the chance to cross-examine witnesses or defend Khan, they were optimistic that the appeal would be maintained at the High Court.

Four PTI supporters were slain and five injured in an explosion that occurred during a political rally in the region of Baluchistan just hours after the judgment. Authorities stated that explosive devices were used, however they did not name the perpetrator.

Leading the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif spoke to a public meeting on January 29, 2024, in Lahore, Pakistan, during an election campaign. “Nawaz Sharif addresses a public gathering during an election campaign,” is the image’s title.

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This statement is made right before the postponed voting on February 8th, an election that is surrounded by claims that PTI is not being allowed an equal opportunity to run for office.

Officials dispute that they have taken action against the PTI, but a large number of its leaders are either in jail or have defected, leaving its candidates to run as independents and some of them not taking part.

When Imran Khan was originally arrested in May of last year, many of his fans were also being held by the police as a result of several violent protests.

The party’s cricket bat emblem, which is essential for voters without literacy to mark their votes, has also been removed. Given how Imran Khan, who is still among the most well-liked leaders in Pakistan, and his party have been marginalized, many are now doubting the legitimacy of this Thursday’s election.

Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime minister who returned from self-imposed exile in the winter, is predicted to gain the most from this development. Throughout his lengthy tenure, he remained a source of contention for the strong military and was imprisoned on corruption-related charges prior to Imran Khan’s victory in the 2018 elections.

feel that in the current situation, the establishment will give him attention, but now the roles have been reversed. Since Nawaz Sharif’s court problems have been settled, many of his opponents—who are thought to be sympathetic to the military—have disappeared from the picture.”