Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to fourteen years in prison for corruption on Wednesday, January 31, in a case related to gifts they received while in power.
The verdict came a day after Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi were sentenced to ten years in prison for releasing classified documents, and days before the February 8 assembly and provincial elections. Mr Khan had already been declared ineligible. It was not immediately possible to determine whether the two convictions were cumulative.
“Another sad day in the history of our justice system, which has been dismantled”A spokesperson for his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, Pakistan Movement for Justice) reacted in a message to the media on Wednesday.
Mr Khan, 71, was accused along with Mrme Bibi, whom he married in 2018 a few months before becoming prime minister, received gifts while in power that he undervalued before reselling them at higher prices. All gifts must be declared and can only be held or purchased at an officially agreed price below a certain amount.
They pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out in the Rawalpindi jail court, where Mr. Khan, who faces charges in dozens of cases, has been jailed since August. He was also disqualified for five years. like thisme Bibi, who was not in court, later informed the police, according to PTI.
The two convictions come nearly ten days ahead of the February 8 assembly and provincial elections, the campaign of which was marred by allegations of fraud and repression against the PTI.
The party found itself paralyzed in the run-up to the vote: its rallies were banned, its election symbol was banned and dozens of its candidates were not allowed to run. PTI was largely ignored by the media and had to rely on social media. Internet outages disrupted their efforts to hold online meetings.
“You must avenge every injustice with your vote on February 8”In a press release published on his X account on Tuesday, Mr. Khan appealed to the voters’ attention. “Tell them you are not a sheep to be led with a rod. »
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The electoral favorite is the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), the party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who served three terms as head of government without completing any of his terms. Mr. Sharif returned to Pakistan in October 2023 after a four-year exile in London.
A former cricket star, Mr Khan, who came to power in 2018 and was removed by a no-confidence motion in April 2022, enjoys immense popular support in Pakistan. But his campaign of defiance against the powerful military establishment was met with a strong response.
His arrest in May angered his supporters, who sparked violent protests. Authorities responded with mass arrests of PTI supporters and leaders.
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