A former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, have been found guilty in a significant corruption case, imposing a 14-year prison sentence on Khan.
Naijaonpoint understands that Khan has been in custody since August 2023 and faces approximately 200 charges.
However, his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, asserts that this recent conviction is an attempt to coerce him into silence.
The anti-corruption court met at the jail near Islamabad on Friday, January 17, where Khan is detained, and ruled against him and his wife concerning a charitable foundation they co-founded, known as the Al-Qadir Trust.
“The prosecution has proven its case. Khan is convicted,” said Judge Nasir Rana, announcing a 14-year sentence for Khan and seven years for Bibi.
Khan, however, maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated and designed to keep him from returning to power.
“I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief,” AFP quoted Khan saying to reporters inside the courtroom after his conviction.
The sentencing has experienced multiple delays throughout the past month, with analysts suggesting that the prison term is being utilized as leverage to compel Khan into negotiating a deal with the military to withdraw from political engagement.
Since his removal from office in 2022, Khan has initiated an extraordinary campaign, openly criticizing the nation’s influential military leaders.
He has faced four prior convictions, two of which have been overturned, while the sentences for the remaining two cases have been suspended. Nevertheless, he continues to be incarcerated due to unresolved cases.
A United Nations panel of experts determined last year that Khan’s detention lacked legal justification and seemed aimed at disqualifying him from participating in political elections.
Khan was prohibited from contesting in the elections held in February, and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, faced significant restrictions due to a broad crackdown.
Despite PTI securing more seats than any other party in the election, a coalition of parties deemed more amenable to the military’s influence effectively excluded them from governance.