Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were handed a 14-year jail sentence for corruption.
This verdict stems from a case involving gifts received by Khan during his time as the country’s premier.
The sentencing follows another decision, where Khan received a 10-year prison term in connection with leaking state secrets.
Expressing dismay, a spokesperson for Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), remarked, “Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled.”
The nature of whether Khan’s sentences will be served consecutively or concurrently remains unclear.
The trial took place within the jail where Khan has been detained since his arrest in August.
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Salman Safdar, Khan’s lawyer, confirmed the sentencing of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, who married in 2018, just months before Khan assumed the role of prime minister.
Bushra Bibi, a faith healer who initially met Khan for spiritual guidance, is seldom seen in public.
The couple’s legal fate is uncertain, but Safdar clarified that while Imran Khan has been sentenced, Bushra Bibi has yet to be arrested.
Despite being squeezed out of the limelight, Imran Khan and PTI remain central figures in the upcoming elections, where approximately 127 million eligible Pakistani voters will cast their ballots.
The electoral process has already been tainted by accusations of rigging, and Khan’s disqualification from running due to a previous corruption conviction has added to the controversy.
Since his ousting in 2022, Khan has faced a series of legal challenges, which he claims are politically motivated to thwart his return to office.
He accuses the powerful military, and his former allies, of orchestrating his removal through a US-backed conspiracy.
Khan’s arrest in May last year triggered nationwide riots, but a subsequent military crackdown curbed his street power.
Thousands of his supporters were detained, with some facing closed-door military trials, and senior leaders forced into hiding.
Reacting to his 10-year sentence on Tuesday, Khan urged his supporters, “You have to take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8. Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick.”
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