NB BUREAU
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been sentenced to a 10-year jail term in the cipher case, according to Pakistani media reports.
The reports added that Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqernain of the Official Secrets Act special court presiding over the case delivered the verdict after conducting the proceedings in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The decision comes days ahead of the general election in Pakistan scheduled for February 08, 2024.
What is Cipher Case?
The case pertains to the disclosure of a confidential diplomatic cable sent to Islamabad by the country’s diplomat in Washington in March last year.
Imran Khan faced accusations of violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing the secret diplomatic cable, referred to as the cipher. Both Khan and Qureshi contended that the cable contained a threat from the United States aimed at toppling the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which was in power at the time
