A guilty verdict could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years, reducing Khan’s chances of being released in time to campaign ahead of next year’s election.

Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets. The charges represent a new blow to his chances of running in Pakistan’s February general election.

The charges relate to a classified cable named a cipher that the Pakistani ambassador to Washington sent to Islamabad last year and which Khan is accused of publishing.

“The charge was read out loud in the courtroom,” prosecutor Shah Khawar said on Wednesday, adding that Khan and his co-accused, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, had both denied the charge.

Khan’s lawyer Gohar Khan denied the charge, saying it was only valid if signed by the accused. The former prime minister previously said the contents of the telegram had surfaced in the media from other sources.

A guilty verdict under the Official Secrets Act could result in up to 10 years in prison, lawyers said.

It is the second time, according to a higher court, that Khan has been indicted on the same charges dejected a previous charge on technical grounds on the grounds that the correct procedure had not been followed.

A new trial, held in prison for security reasons, is scheduled to begin on Thursday in the presence of his lawyers, family and a few selected journalists.

Khan, 71, has been in prison since being sentenced to three years on corruption charges.

Khan says the telegram is evidence of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and the U.S. government to overthrow his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and the Pakistani military deny the allegations.

The former international cricketer won the last general election in 2018, a victory his opponents say was achieved with the military’s support. Khan and the military later fell out, largely due to disagreements over the appointment of the chief of the main spy agency.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Khan, which he denounces as an attempt to ban him from politics.

The corruption sentence was suspended by a higher court, but he remains in prison in connection with other cases, including a charge of inciting violence following one of his arrests.

The conviction has barred Khan from running in elections, but his legal team is pushing for him to be released on bail and for the ban to be lifted.

The new charge reduces his chances of being released from prison to campaign for his party ahead of the February 8 election.

Military trials begin against Khan supporters

Also on Wednesday, Pakistan’s top court allowed military courts to resume trials of more than 100 Khan supporters accused of attacking military installations during violent demonstrations that erupted 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 in a crackdown on Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The violence only subsided when Khan was released on the orders of Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Although Khan is also accused of inciting violence, he is not facing military trial.

The Pakistani military has ruled the country directly for about half of its 76-year history and continues to wield enormous power.