In a ruling on Wednesday, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi were handed a 14-year prison sentence in the Toshakhana reference case. Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Khan is currently detained.
The verdict, which also includes a ten-year ban from holding public office and a hefty fine of Rs787 million each, was delivered in absentia for Bushra Bibi, who did not appear in court.
The timing of the judgment, just eight days ahead of the February 8 general elections, casts a shadow over the political landscape, particularly for Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which faces the polls amidst a state-led crackdown and without an electoral symbol.
This development follows closely on the heels of another blow to Khan’s political career, as a special court, operating under the Official Secrets Act, sentenced both Khan and his former foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to 10 years in prison for the unauthorized disclosure of state secrets, underscoring the deepening legal woes of the once prominent political figures.
