Pakistan EX Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi jailed for 14 years in state gifts case

ISLAMABAD:In the Toshakhana case, an accountability court sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 14 years in prison on Wednesday.

In addition to the pair being fined Rs1.573 billion, the PTI founder has been disqualified for ten years.

 Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir asked Khan about filing his statement under Section 342 during the hearing. At which point the former prime minister announced that he was ready to make his testimony and would do so whenever his attorneys arrived. Later, the PTI founder left the courtroom.

Subsequently, the judge gave the jail administration instructions to request that Khan appear in court. But the judge was told by the jail staff that the PTI founder was not yet prepared to appear in court.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were officially charged in the Toshakhana case earlier this month. In the context of the Toshakhana case, the court has filed separate accusations against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and the hearing took place in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

What is the case of Toshakhana?

During his time as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Imran Khan is accused of receiving priceless presents from Toshakahan at a discounted rate, which he then sold for $635,000.

During his time as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Imran Khan is accused of receiving priceless presents from Toshakahan at a discounted rate, which he then sold for $635,000.

Among the presents Imran Khan received was an expensive Saudi Arabian wristwatch with a replica of the Holy Kaaba. The watch's estimated market value in the global market was above 600 million.

In the Toshakhana case, the Election Commission of Pakistan ruled the PTI founder guilty on October 21, 2022, citing his misleading declarations about gifts and assets provided in accordance with Article 63(1) of the Constitution.

Subsequently, the election monitor filed a plea in session court to start criminal charges against the former PTI.

The trial court found Imran Khan guilty of giving false information on May 10, 2023. However, the Islamabad High Court ruled on July 4 that the session court's ruling was invalid and ordered the trial court to reconsider the matter.

In the Toshakhana case, Imran Khan was sentenced to three years in prison by the local court on August 5, 2023. But in a decision on December 21, the Islamabad High Court upheld his disqualification while suspending the penalty.

Penalty in the Cipher Case

One day prior, PTI founder Imran Khan and his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi were found guilty in a cipher case by a special court that was constituted under the Official Secrets Act.

During the hearing, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain gave the former foreign minister and prime minister each a ten-year prison sentence.the case at the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.

Both political figures were given a questionnaire by the judge to document their statements under Section 342. The court received the answers to 36 questions from both PTI leaders.

The judge questioned Imran Khan about the whereabouts of the cipher, which the founder of the PTI has said included evidence of a US conspiracy to topple his government, before imposing the punishment.

In response, the former prime minister maintained that he was not in charge of the security of the prime minister's residence and that the cipher was not in his hands.

The court found the defendant guilty in the case and then handed down the jail term.