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In a major legal blow to the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, a special court sitting at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi has sentenced Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years of imprisonment each. The verdict, delivered this Saturday by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand, centers on the Toshakhana 2.0 corruption case involving the alleged illegal retention and sale of luxury jewelry and watches gifted by the Saudi government. This development effectively dampens immediate hopes for the 73-year-old leader’s release and further complicates his eventual return to the political arena.
The sentencing comes after a swift trial conducted within the high-security prison where Khan has been held since August 2023. The court awarded the couple 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for criminal breach of trust under the Pakistan Penal Code and an additional seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Alongside the jail terms, a hefty fine of 16.4 million Pakistani rupees was imposed on each convict. Despite the severity of the sentence, the judge noted a degree of leniency in the final ruling, citing Khan’s advanced age and the fact that Bushra Bibi is a woman.
The case focuses on allegations that during his premiership in 2021, the couple received jewelry sets and high-end watches valued at approximately $285,521 but declared them at a mere fraction of their worth—roughly $10,000. Under Pakistani law, state gifts must be deposited into the Toshakhana repository or purchased at an assessed market value if the recipient wishes to keep them. Prosecutors argued that Khan and Bibi exploited their positions to acquire these items at "throwaway prices" before selling them for significant personal gain.
Legal representatives for the former premier, including Salman Safdar, have already announced plans to challenge the verdict in the Islamabad High Court. The defense maintains that the proceedings were a "mockery of justice," characterized by a lack of transparency and a "closed-door" environment. Khan’s spokesperson, Zulfiquar Bukhari, labeled the ruling a "selective prosecution" based on a retrospective reinterpretation of rules. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has officially denounced the judgment as a "black chapter" in the country’s history and called for widespread protests across the Punjab province this Sunday.
As for his political future, the outlook remains increasingly grim. This conviction marks the third major legal setback for Khan related to state gifts, following a previous three-year term in 2023 and a 14-year sentence in early 2024. While some earlier sentences were suspended on appeal, the accumulation of new convictions continues to stall his eligibility for public office. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar emphasized that the new sentence would likely be served consecutively, meaning Khan could remain behind bars well into the next decade unless higher courts intervene or a political settlement is reached.
Despite his imprisonment, Khan remains a polarising and highly popular figure. His PTI party emerged as a dominant force in the February 2024 elections, though it currently sits in opposition amidst allegations of widespread rigging. For now, the prospect of Khan being freed "sooner" depends entirely on the judicial system’s response to the upcoming appeals and the stability of the current coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif. With more than 200 cases still pending against him—ranging from corruption to terrorism—the road back to the Prime Minister’s Office is currently blocked by a dense thicket of legal and political hurdles.
