A guilty verdict could carry up to 10 years in prison, in a case that will reduce the chances of Khan being released in time to campaign before next year’s elections.
Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets under an indictment that deals a fresh blow to his chances of contesting Pakistan’s general election in February.
The charges relate to a secret cable called a code that was sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington last year and that Khan is accused of making public.
“The charges were read out loud in court,” prosecutor Shah Khawar said on Wednesday, adding that Khan and his co-accused, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, both denied the charges.
Khan’s lawyer Gohar Khan disputed the charge, saying it would only be valid if signed by the suspect. The former prime minister has previously said that the cable’s content appeared in the media from other sources.
A guilty verdict under the Official Secrets Act could mean up to 10 years in prison, lawyers say.
It is the second time Khan has been charged with the same charges, after a higher court dismissed an earlier charge on technical grounds, saying proper procedure had not been followed.
A new trial, being held in prison for security reasons, will begin on Thursday in the presence of his lawyers, family and a few selected journalists.
Khan, 71, has been in prison since he was sentenced to three years on August 5 on corruption charges.
Khan said the cable was evidence of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and the US government to overthrow his government in 2022, after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The military of Washington and Pakistan deny the allegations.
The former international cricketer won the last general election in 2018, a victory his opponents say was achieved with the backing of the military. Khan and the military later fell out, mainly over disagreements over the appointment of the head of the main spy agency.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Khan, which he has denounced as an attempt to ban him from politics.
The corruption sentence has been suspended by a higher court, but he remains in prison on other charges, including a charge of incitement to violence following one of his arrests.
Khan has been disqualified from running in the election due to the conviction, but his legal team is calling for his release on bail and the ban to be overturned.
The new charges reduce his chances of being released from prison to campaign for his party before the February 8 elections.
Military trials of Khan supporters begin
Also on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court allowed military courts to resume trials of more than 100 of Khan’s supporters on charges of attacking military installations during violent demonstrations that broke out after his arrest in May.
The Supreme Court’s latest order came less than two months after five judges of the same court stayed the trial of 103 civilians arrested as part of the crackdown on Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The violence only subsided after Khan was released on orders from Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Although Khan is also accused of inciting people to violence, he will not face a military trial.
The Pakistani military has ruled the country directly for about half of its 76-year history and continues to wield enormous power.