Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets.
The sentence was handed down by a court established under the Official Secrets Act in Rawalpindi, a representative of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said.
Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The PTI said it would challenge the decision and called it a “sham case”.
Khan's lawyer Salman Safdar condemned the verdict.
“This trial concluded in the most bizarre manner violating all norms of fair trial and procedure,“ he told The National.
Mr Safdar said he expected the verdict to be overturned once it reached higher courts.
Lawyer Ali Gohar Durrani, who is also representing PTI officials in court cases, told The National that the decision was illegal and unjust.
“Today's decision is not a legitimate court ruling but rather the judge's own will,” he said. “An appeal will be filed within 30 days, and a decision will be made promptly because it lacks legality.”
Khan was jailed last August after being convicted of corruption charges involving the personal sale of state gifts.
The latest case, known popularly as the "cipher case," centred around a classified diplomatic document authorities said he made public and displayed at an election rally.
The cable, from Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, alleges his ousting was a US-backed conspiracy, according to Khan.
Khan says that the contents of the cable had previously appeared in the media from other sources.
Political commentator Adil Shahzeb, who hosts a current affairs show on Pakistan's Dawn News platform, said he thought that while the PTI did use the classified cable to create a conspiracy around US involvement, the situation had been exploited for political gain.
“The trial should have been more transparent. Ten year's imprisonment is too harsh and that too [a] few days before elections,” Mr Shahzeb told The National.
The verdict was handed down about a week before Pakistan's parliamentary elections, from which Khan is barred for five years due to his previous criminal conviction.
Khan's PTI won the highest number of seats in the last elections in 2018, defeating the rival Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan Peoples Party.
He was ousted as prime minister after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. In November of that year, he was shot and wounded in what he called “assassination attempt” while leading an anti-government rally to Islamabad.
Supporters of the PTI founder have demonstrated across the country since his arrest last May.
Authorities have clamped down on the PTI since then, banning party election rallies and detaining dozens of people at demonstrations.
About 2,000 gathered in Karachi on Sunday, where AFP correspondents saw about two dozen PTI supporters detained by police and taken away.
Pakistan's high court suspended his corruption conviction in late August and granted him bail in December, but he remained in jail on other charges.
Khan said he faced many charges – about 200 in all – including treason and terrorism.
His supporters and the PTI said the charges were politically motivated or manufactured by Pakistan's military and political elite, which they claim had decided to support the rival PML-N in the coming election.
Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, a PTI official and Vice President of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the PTI ruled for over 10 years, said that all the cases against Khan were rigged and had exposed Pakistan's justice system.
“[The case] is actually exposing how the Pakistani justice and governance systems don't work and how there is a concerted attempt to ensure that the people of Pakistan don’t have democratic right to vote Imran Khan to power,” he told The National.
He predicted that Pakistanis would vote for the PTI “in record numbers” on February 8.
A veteran Pakistani journalist said that the PTI would probably use the “victim card” in the election, rather than choose to boycott it.
“The upcoming election will likely be the most controversial in the history of Pakistan,” Lehaz Ali told The National.
“These types of decisions weaken the political structure of Pakistan, as they only target politicians, not the military, establishment, and bureaucracy.”
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
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Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
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Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
