IN what many would describe as a predetermined verdict, a special court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his erstwhile foreign minister to a decade behind bars for violating the Official Secrets Act. The court decision announced just a week before general elections is a reminder of the trial and convictions of previous prime ministers.

Imran Khan has met the same fate as many of his predecessors, following the country’s shameful political tradition of removing political leaders from the scene through dubious trials. He was being tried along with Shah Mahmood Qureshi inside prison in the cipher case.

It is the first time a Pakistani leader has been convicted for the disclosure of official secrets. Khan has been accused of using a diplomatic document for his political objectives and misplacing the secret communication. Khan has long held that the document contained a threat from the United States and that it provided proof that his government was being ousted by a conspiracy involving Washington and the then army leadership.

There is no doubt that Khan wrongfully used the cipher message sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington at that time, for concocting a case that his government was being removed through an external conspiracy. He waved the so-called document at a political rally, whipping up public sentiments weeks before his government was removed through a vote of no-confidence. The narrative worked and galvanised his supporters.

Imran Khan’s conviction could widen the existing political polarisation and fuel instability.

It is evident that the allegation of conspiracy also brought him into........

© Dawn