Pakistan court jails Imran Khan for 10 years days ahead of polls

A Pakistan court sentenced Imran Khan to 10 years’ jail on Tuesday for leaking state secrets, his party said, the harshest sentence against the former prime minister and cricketer in multiple cases coming just days before national elections.

The special court found Khan guilty of making public the contents of a secret cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in the same case.

The jail term is the second conviction for Khan in recent months, and ensures the popular politician will remain out of the public spotlight ahead of next week’s parliamentary vote which will also lead to the nomination of a new prime minister.