Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, their only ODI World Cup trophy so far, was sentenced to ten years in prison by a special court in Pakistan yesterday (January 30). Less than 24 hours after the charge, he has been handed a 14-year jail term in a separate case.

The former Pakistan Prime Minister was accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act when in power. Imran was accused of making the details of a diplomatic document public. A special court convened for the case, headed by Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, pronounced the sentence yesterday (January 30).

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Pakistan foreign minister and a senior member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the political party founded by Imran, was also sentenced to ten years in prison.

The PTI issued a statement calling it a “sham trial and a complete mockery and disregard of law in the cypher case”. “Pakistan stands with Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who defended Pakistan and stood for Haqeeqi Azadi. No such sham trial can change what happened in March- April 2022, on the orders of Donald Lu,” the PTI wrote on X (Twitter).

If anyone wants to understand how sham this trial was, this tweet here is enough. Absolutely disgusting and shameful mockery of law.#نہ_مایوس_ہوں_نہ_مشتعل #ووٹ_کرے_گا_میرا_فیصلہ https://t.co/0dDVkWA2eW

— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 30, 2024

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Imran’s troubles didn’t end there, though. He has now been sentenced to another jail term, this one for 14 years, in a case related to selling gifts he received as a Prime Minister without declaring proceeds for tax purposes. This term will run concurrently with the 10-year term he was sentenced to yesterday (January 30). Imran’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has also been sentenced to 14 years in prison along with him.

Imran has already been in prison since August 2023 for a separate charge. Pakistan is set to go through Parliamentary elections in about a week’s time. Imran’s party, the PTI, however, is not allowed to contest the elections while Imran is banned from running for any political office.

Imran founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 1996 and came to power as Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister in August 2018. Four years later, in April 2022, he was removed from office by a vote of no confidence in relation to the leak of the classified ‘cypher’ for which he was sentenced to prison yesterday (January 31).