Pakistan: Court Acquits Imran Khan in State Secrets Leak

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Facts

• On Monday, an Islamabad court reversed the 10-year jail sentence of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister, and his ally, ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, for allegedly disclosing classified government information in the 'cipher case.'¹
• Despite the court victory, Khan will remain in prison as he has been convicted in four cases and faces more than 150 lawsuits since being ousted.²
• Khan's charges stem from him waving a classified document at a rally that he claims proved that his removal in a no-confidence vote in 2022 was done at the behest of the US. American and Pakistani officials have denied these claims.³
• Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are both in prison after a court declared their marriage invalid and against Islamic law. In April, a court suspended their 14-year graft conviction relating to gifts he received as prime minister.⁴
• Khan and his wife appealed their seven-year sentence for violating the country's marriage laws, but a judge recused himself last week and transferred proceedings to another court after Bibi's ex-husband accused him of bias.⁵
• Khan's influence over Pakistani politics is still immense. In the national election in February, his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), emerged as the largest bloc but failed to secure a majority, as their rivals formed a new administration.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³ABC News, ⁴Dw.Com, ⁵The Japan Times and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Arabnews. Sentences have been overturned, and the only thing keeping the 71-year-old former cricket star turned politician and prime minister of Pakistan out of jail is a seven-year prison sentence for breaching Pakistan's marital laws. Clearly, the efforts to prevent Khan from returning to power are politically driven. They've victimized his party and stolen the February national election. The authorities must immediately release Khan and his ally Qureshi.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Vox. Khan has been mired in controversy and scandals for years, and the mounting evidence is too much to ignore. Khan has used his power to subvert democracy, including his attempt to dissolve parliament to escape the no-confidence vote that ousted him. Now, he's using his platform to bring Pakistan to the brink of civil war. While Khan should be pursued legally for his wrongdoings, the government should be careful not to turn this political crisis into something worse.

Predictions