Imran Khan’s lawyer said: “This verdict is full of errors” (File Photo)

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison, in a detailed verdict released on Thursday saying the leaking of secret diplomatic cables had caused damage to Pakistan’s economy, politics and diplomacy.

A special court on Tuesday convicted Imran Khan of leaking state secrets and disqualified the former cricket star from holding any public office for ten years, a setback for him and his party ahead of the February 8 general election. is a setback.

The verdict said: “It is clear that Pakistan faces severe economic, diplomatic and political consequences as a result of the crimes committed by the accused Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, which in turn has weakened Pakistan’s economy thereby affecting National security has been adversely affected.”

The verdict found Imran Khan, 71, guilty of publishing, mishandling, misusing and tampering with secret cables sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad. The court found him guilty of four counts under the Official Secrets Act.

Imran Khan said the cable was evidence of a plot by the military and the US government to overthrow his government in 2022, after he visited Moscow ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and the Pakistani military deny this.

In August, he was also sentenced to three years in prison in a corruption case, but that sentence was suspended. On Wednesday, he was also sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, which already prevents him from running in the upcoming election.

Imran Khan’s lawyer Intezar Panjutha said: “This judgment is full of errors.” He added, “It will not hold up in any higher court.”

Analysts see former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the frontrunner to form the next government, while his daughter Maryam Nawaz was also indicted on corruption charges ahead of the last election in 2018. and was convicted and imprisoned. Analysts say this helped Imran Khan win, and Imran Khan’s verdict now helps Sharif. Both men blamed the military, which denied the accusation.

Pakistan’s recovery from the economic crisis depends on political stability. The election comes as Pakistan struggles to recover from a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout that helped it narrowly avoid a sovereign default last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)