Pakistan Escalates Legal Action: Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi Sentenced to Another 17 Years

 

 

By Syed Umer Gardezi

Rawalpindi: A special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years of imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 case, a verdict PTI has strongly criticised as politically driven.

 

 

 

 

 

The conviction relates to the alleged misuse of state gifts, including the purchase of a Bulgari jewellery set. PTI leaders and legal observers have questioned the speed of the proceedings, calling it selective accountability while alleging that similar cases involving other political figures were never pursued.

 

 

 

 

 

The verdict was announced by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand during a jail trial at Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan has been incarcerated for several months. According to the judgment, Imran Khan was handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 409 for criminal breach of trust and an additional seven years under Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bushra Bibi received an identical sentence under the same legal provisions.

 

 

 

 

 

The court also imposed fines of Rs 16.4 million on each of the convicts, with additional imprisonment stipulated in case of non-payment. PTI has described the punishment, particularly against Bushra Bibi, as excessive and unprecedented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PTI leaders argue that the case criminalises actions that were neither concealed nor illegal at the time and maintain that Toshakhana-related matters involving previous rulers were either ignored or quietly closed.

 

 

 

 

Following the verdict, legal teams for both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi announced plans to challenge the ruling in the high court, expressing confidence that the decision would be overturned.

 

 

 

It is worth noting that the couple was indicted in the reference in December last year, when Imran Khan was already facing multiple cases. PTI maintains that the ongoing convictions are part of a broader effort to sideline its leadership politically.