ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator on Sunday barred former prime minister Imran Khan’s deputy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, from contesting the upcoming national elections after he was convicted earlier this week on charges of leaking state secrets.
A Pakistani court this week handed Khan and Qureshi, who was Pakistan’s foreign minister during Khan’s tenure from April 2018-2022, a 10-year jail term each in what is known popularly as the “cipher case.” The two were convicted on charges of leaking a secret diplomatic cable to unauthorized individuals.
Khan says the cable is proof Washington colluded with Pakistan’s powerful military and his political adversaries to oust him from the PM’s Office in April 2022. Washington, Pakistan’s military and Khan’s political rivals, all strongly deny the allegations.
“Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has become disqualified under Article 63 (1) (h) of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017,” the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notification read.
“Therefore, Mr. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi is disqualified to contest General Elections 2024 and any subsequent elections for a period of five years.”
The PTI said on Tuesday it would challenge the judgment in the Islamabad High Court after getting a certified copy of the verdict from the special court, which conducted the trial of the case at Rawalpindi’s central jail.
Khan and most senior leaders of the PTI have been rejected as candidates for the Feb. 8 vote in what they say is a campaign by the military-led establishment to thwart their participation. The army says it does not interfere in political affairs.
The PTI founder’s legal troubles worsened on Saturday when a Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in prison each in a case related to their 2018 marriage which was declared unlawful.
The case was filed against the couple amid speculation that Khan’s wife had not completed “iddah,” a specified period mandated by Islam that a Muslim widow or divorcee must observe before remarrying another person.
After Khan’s brief detention on graft allegations in May 2023 sparked unrest, the PTI has been the subject of a widespread crackdown, with leading figures either jailed or forced to leave the party.
