Pakistan court acquits ex-PM Imran Khan in state secrets leaking case

A Pakistani court has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case that accused him of leaking state secrets.

In a brief verdict, a two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court on Monday led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq also exonerated Khan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was a co-accused in the case.

A trial court had sentenced the two to 10 years in jail in the case commonly known as the "cypher case."

The case is related to diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad, which Khan said was part of a US conspiracy to topple his government two years ago.

Khan, who came to power in 2018, lost a vote of confidence in parliament in April 2022, one year short of completing his term.

Despite the acquittal, Khan will remain in prison, having also been convicted in another case relating to his marriage to his third wife, Bushra Khan, contravening Islamic traditions.

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Source: TRT