Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets.
Khan's former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in prison as part of the case.
Khan allegedly shared the contents of a secret telegram sent by the country's ambassador in Washington to the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.
Khan claimed that the telegram was evidence of a conspiracy by the Pakistani army and the US government to overthrow his government
In 2022, after he visited Moscow ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He also said earlier that the contents of the telegram appeared in the media from other sources.
Washington and the Pakistani army denied Khan's allegations.
Imran Khan appeared in court in May last year. Photo: Reuters
Khan's party said it would appeal the decision issued by a special court judge at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, describing it as a “sham case.”
Khan's lawyer, Naeem Panjotha, posted on the social media platform X, previously Twitter, after the ruling: “We do not accept this illegal decision.”
Read more from Sky News:
Why are Iran and Pakistan firing missiles at each other?
Lahore shuts down while South Asian cities are shrouded in thick smog
This comes as the country prepares to hold elections on February 8, a vote in which Khan is barred from running due to a previous conviction.
Khan, a former cricketer turned politician, was ousted as prime minister through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
The 71-year-old, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was then jailed in August 2023 on corruption charges – which he claimed were politically motivated.
A man walks past a burning prison van set on fire by Imran Khan's supporters during a protest last year. Photo: AP
This conviction has excluded him from the general elections that will be held in the country next week.
While his prison term was suspended because he appealed his corruption conviction, he remained in prison awaiting trial in the state secrets case.
Pakistan has witnessed violent demonstrations since Khan's arrest last year. The authorities have suppressed his supporters and party ever since.
