Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14 years in prison. This is the second sentence given to Khan in two days, and it comes just a week before Pakistan’s election, in which he is not allowed to participate. Khan, who was removed from his position as Prime Minister in 2022, is already serving a three-year sentence for corruption.
The recent court case was centered around accusations that Khan and his wife received state gifts while in office. The previous day’s case, which resulted in a 10-year sentence, was related to leaking classified state documents. It is yet to be confirmed whether the two sentences will be served concurrently. The court has also ordered the couple to pay a fine of approximately 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m;$5.3m).
Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated that this sentencing further prohibits Khan from engaging in future political activities, as he will be disqualified from holding public office for 10 years. Khan’s lawyers have announced plans to appeal both cases to Pakistan’s High Court.
Khan has been detained since August of last year, primarily at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. His wife Bushra Bibi, who had been out on remand, surrendered at the jail on Wednesday.
Both Khan and Bibi have strongly denied the accusations made by Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog that they sold or kept state gifts received in office for personal profit. The PTI has described the cases against Khan as unfounded and claimed that the trials were conducted under duress in “kangaroo courts”.
The upcoming election’s credibility has been called into question due to the extent to which Khan and his party have been marginalized. Despite authorities denying a crackdown on PTI, many of its leaders are now incarcerated or have defected. The party’s candidates are running as independents, and many are fugitives.
The man predicted to win the election is three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, who returned from self-imposed exile in the autumn. He was previously imprisoned for corruption ahead of the 2018 election that Imran Khan won. Many believe that Sharif is currently favored by the Pakistan military establishment, while Khan has fallen out of favor.
