1992 World Cup winning captain gets sentenced for 10 years for involvement in Cipher case

Imran Khan has been sentenced to a punishment of 10 long years in jail. The former Pakistan PM has been found guilty of his involvement in the Cipher case along with the former foreign minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The duo has been handed a punishment of 10 years in jail. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced its verdict on the case.

A spokesperson from PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) confirmed the same. “Former PM Imran Khan and PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) vice-president Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each inside prison in the cypher case,” said the spokesperson of PTI. In the statement, it was confirmed that the party would challenge the decision of the court in the coming days.

The verdict on the case was given by Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, the Special Court Judge, who has been hearing the case since its inception in 2023. The case is all about a diplomatic document, which was not returned by Imran Khan when in power, according to the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet.

Reputation of Imran Khan takes a hit

PTI has claimed that the document had information regarding the threat posed by the USA to remove Imran Khan from the post of Pakistan’s PM. A month ago, the Supreme Court had given bail to the duo of Qureshi and Imran. Yet, the legal battles of the duo have continued to make the headlines.

The trial of the case was resumed last month in the Adiala district jail. On the 13th of December, the duo was indicted for the 2nd time. The duo was indicted for the first time in October, where they had pleaded guilty. The trial of the court was criticized back then by the winner of the 1992 World Cup.

“The trial was nothing less than a ‘joke’ because the prosecution and defence team both belonged to the government,” said Imran about the trial. With the latest case, the reputation of the former Pakistan skipper has taken a hit. Imran would be hoping to prove himself innocent in the case.