Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan And Wife Get 14 Years Jail In Graft Case
Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse were handed a 14-year prison sentence on Wednesday following their conviction for corruption in a case related to gifts Khan received during his tenure as the country’s leader.
The judgment, just one week before the national elections, follows a day after Khan was handed a 10-year prison sentence in a case involving the disclosure of state secrets.
“Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled,” a spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party told media.
It was unclear right away whether Khan’s sentences would be served consecutively or concurrently after a trial conducted within the prison where he has been held since his arrest in August.
However, Salman Safdar, the attorney representing Khan, verified to AFP that he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, who had been in custody during the trial, both received sentences.
“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have been sentenced. Bushra Bibi has not been arrested as yet,” Safdar said.
The couple tied the knot in 2018, a few months before Khan became the elected prime minister.
Bibi, a spiritual healer who crossed paths with Khan when he sought her guidance, is seldom observed in public.
Approximately 127 million Pakistanis have the right to cast their votes next Thursday during the election. Despite being overshadowed, Khan and PTI remain central to the discussions.
The election has already been tainted by accusations of manipulation, as Khan is disqualified from participating due to a prior corruption conviction, and his political party is facing a significant crackdown.
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After his removal in 2022, Khan has been entangled in legal battles that he alleges were orchestrated to hinder his comeback to power, following a period of resistance against the influential military figures in Pakistan.
Khan alleged that the influential military, with whom he shared a governing alliance for a significant portion of his time in office, was behind his removal in a conspiracy supported by the United States.
Upon Khan’s initial arrest in May of the previous year, widespread unrest erupted throughout the nation.
However, his influence in the streets was neutralized due to a military crackdown, resulting in the detention of thousands of his followers. Among them, 100 individuals are undergoing military trials behind closed doors, and numerous top leaders have been compelled to go into hiding.
“You have to take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8,” Khan said in a statement posted on his X profile reacting to his 10-year sentence on Tuesday.
“Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick.”
Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan And Wife Get 14 Years Jail In Graft Case
