The Islamabad High Court has dismissed the request of indicted former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to be released on bail in a case concerning a violation of the Official Secrets Act, media reported on Friday.
On Monday, Khan and his opposition Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were both charged with violating the act by leaking classified data. Khan, who was removed from power in April 2022 by a no-confidence vote, and Qureshi pleaded not guilty, Pakistani broadcaster GEO reported, citing sources.
The charge claims Khan and his assistants leaked the contents of a classified cable which was sent to Islamabad by the Pakistani ambassador to Washington in the beginning of 2022 to unauthorized persons and distorted the facts to claim that the United States was behind a conspiracy to topple his government. Moreover, the ex-prime minister is charged with illegally keeping a copy of the document.
In accordance with the Pakistani Official Secrets Act, the accused might be sentenced to 2-14 years' imprisonment or to the death penalty.