Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan charged in official secrets case

A Pakistani court has indicted former prime minister Imran Khan on charges of revealing official secrets. AP

A Pakistani court charged former prime minister Imran Khan and his deputy in an official secrets acts case today, his party said, in another blow for the jailed politician before a general election expected in January.

The charge is related to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington early last year, which Mr Khan is accused of making public.

Mr Khan denies the charge and said its contents appeared in the media from other sources.

A special court indicted Mr Khan and his party's deputy leader, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Quershi, his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding that the case would begin on Friday. It said it would challenge the indictment.

Mr Khan said the cable was proof of a US conspiracy to push the Pakistani military to oust him in a parliamentary vote in 2022 because he had visited Moscow just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Both the US and the Pakistani military deny the claims.

The charge has drawn mixed feelings in Pakistan, with some opposing the decision and others justifying it under the relevant laws.

Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former ambassador and analyst, told The National Mr Khan and his party had made a wrong decision by making the cipher public in a political rally.

He said PTI leadership faced a crisis in government.

“But never have diplomatic cables been made public. Imran Khan made a serious mistake by making it public,” Mr Mohmand said.

“This act of Imran Khan strained Pakistan’s relations with the US, which adversely affected our country. I think the court had no option but to indict Imran Khan and his aide in this case.”

Mr Khan was forced from office after losing the 2022 no-confidence vote and he then led protests against the government to push for an early general election, and against the military, which he accused of trying to sideline him.

The military, which has ruled directly for significant periods and wielded influence over civilian governments, denied that.

Mr Khan has had dozens of legal cases filed against him, which he has denounced as an effort to banish him from politics. He has been convicted in one graft case and sentenced to three years in jail.

The sentence was suspended but he remains in prison in connection with other cases, including instigating violence and the official secrets case.

A guilty verdict under the Official Secrets Act could bring up to 14 years in prison or even a death sentence, lawyers say.

Two-time PTI minister Atif Khan told The National the trial should be live-streamed.

“If live streaming is not possible, at least the case should be on trial in the open court. Now nobody knows what is taking place inside the court since it is in-camera proceedings,” he said.

He said Mr Khan did not make an illegal decision by making the cipher public as the matter was of public importance.

“A message landed in the country and Imran Khan wanted to share it with his people who had voted him into power,” Mr Atif said. "The cipher comes as a classified document to the prime minister and foreign office. However, the cabinet can decide about declassifying it.

“The cabinet of the then PTI-led government held a meeting and they decided to declassify it. So this was a decision of the then government and I don’t think it was an illegal decision.”

Mr Khan's party said today's hearing took place on the premises of Adyala Jail, near Islamabad, where he is being held, with no media or public access.

Mr Khan is disqualified from the upcoming general election because of the graft conviction, but his legal team is pushing for him to be released on bail before the vote.

His old rival, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, launched his party's election campaign on Saturday after arriving home from four years of self-imposed exile, promising to tackle inflation.

Engineer Amir Muqam, a former federal minister and central leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said the court should be allowed to make the right decision.

“The cipher case created instability in Pakistan since it was a secret document that was made public,” he added. "I think the court’s decision on punishment would ensure that no one in the future makes public secret documents."