Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, Former Prime Minister and his spouse, sentenced to imprisonment on corruption charges in Pakistan.
Just a week before the scheduled election in the South Asian country, the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who is disqualified from standing, faces two sentences. Ousted by opponents in 2022, Khan is presently serving a three-year jail term for corruption, claiming that the charges against him are politically motivated. The recent court case focused on allegations of receiving state gifts during his tenure, while a previous case, resulting in a 10-year sentence, involved leaking classified state documents. Although it’s speculated that the sentences will run concurrently, it remains unconfirmed.
The court has also imposed a fine of approximately 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m; $5.3m) on Khan and his wife. Furthermore, Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), states that the sentencing disqualifies their leader from future political involvement, barring him from holding public office for 10 years. Khan’s lawyers intend to appeal both cases to Pakistan’s High Court.
On Wednesday, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, surrendered at the jail. The couple, married in 2018 just months before Khan’s election as prime minister, has consistently denied accusations of selling or retaining state gifts for personal gain, including a jewelry set from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
PTI deems the cases against Khan as baseless, alleging that the trials occurred in rushed “kangaroo courts” under duress. They criticize Wednesday’s case as another setback in the judicial system’s history, asserting that the judiciary is being dismantled.
Khan’s lawyers argue he wasn’t given a fair chance to defend himself in a swiftly conducted trial. Surprisingly, the judge delivered the verdicts in the absence of Khan, Bibi, or their legal team in the courtroom. Khan’s sister mentioned confusion over the case’s start time.
Khan, yet to formally comment on Wednesday’s verdict, previously urged his followers to seek justice through their votes on February 8 peacefully. Concerns about the election’s credibility were already widespread, with Khan and his party marginalized. While authorities deny a crackdown on PTI, many leaders are detained or have defected, and candidates are running as independents. Thousands of PTI supporters were detained after Khan’s arrest in May, and the party lost its cricket bat symbol, vital for voters with low literacy rates.
Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former PM, is now favored to win. Returning from exile, Sharif, previously at odds with the military, was jailed for corruption before the 2018 election that Khan won. The perception now is that the military prefers Sharif, while Khan, once close to the military, has fallen out of favor.
