Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Indicted for Revealing Official Secrets, May Be Barred from Upcoming Parliamentary Elections

Indictment Relates to Confidential Diplomatic Letter Waved at Rally Post-Khan's 2022 Ouster; Khan Faces Over 150 Cases Including Contempt of Court, Terrorism, Inciting Violence and Previously Suspended Corruption Charges.

A Pakistani court indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of revealing official secrets, stemming from his waiving of a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally post his 2022 ouster from office. The indictment could potentially bar him from the upcoming parliamentary elections in January.
The charge of revealing state secrets carries a sentence ranging from life in prison to the death penalty; however, Khan's defense lawyers are confident that he and his ally Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be acquitted, claiming they did nothing wrong.
The confidential document, dubbed 'Cipher,' alleged to be a diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, has not been publicly disclosed by either the government or Khan's lawyers.
This indictment forms part of over 150 cases against Khan, which include charges of contempt of court, terrorism, inciting violence, and previously suspended corruption charges.
Over the same weekend, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Khan's main political rival, returned home from his self-imposed exile in London, likely posing as a serious competitor to Khan's party in the upcoming January elections.