On Tuesday, a Pakistani court prolonged Imran Khan’s detention for a further two weeks due to allegations that he had exposed state secrets following his dismissal in 2022.
The newest court case against the nation’s leading opposition figure and wildly popular former cricket player turned Islamist politician has piled up in an unprecedented manner. Khan has waged a campaign against Shehbaz Sharif, his successor, ever since he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April of last year.
The legal scuffle highlights Pakistan’s worsening political unrest in the wake of Khan’s removal and in advance of the upcoming parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for the last week of January. Following Sharif’s resignation last month at the end of the legislative session, an interim administration was installed to oversee Pakistan’s election process.
Khan was given a three-year term on corruption allegations in early August and is currently facing more than 150 cases, including accusations of contempt of court, terrorism, and inciting unrest. In what amounted to a victory for Khan legally, an Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence later that month.
He continued to be detained, however, since a different court—a special tribunal—ordered his detention due to an event late last year in which Khan brandished a secret diplomatic letter at a rally and was accused of disclosing government secrets.
The document, according to Khan, is evidence that he was intimidated and that the Pakistani military, Washington, and Sharif’s administration conspired to remove him from office. Each of them has refuted Khan’s assertions.
The Cipher document, which was allegedly diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, has not been made public by either the government or Khan’s attorneys. Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha told reporters that a special court hearing the Cipher case has extended custody for the former premier until Oct. 10. The custody was initially to expire on Tuesday.
Khan, 70, is being held at the high-security Attock Prison in the eastern Punjab province. He was supposed to be moved to Adiyala Prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, just outside of the capital of Islamabad, where better facilities are available.
Khan’s lawyers say he has refused the move for reasons that remain unknown.
