Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, has been sentenced to seven years, following a conviction in a corruption case linked to the Al-Qadir University Project Trust. The court also imposed fines, with Khan ordered to pay 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500) and Bibi fined half that amount.
The accountability court delivered its verdict from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. The decision had been delayed multiple times since December, with the court deferring the announcement on three occasions. Bushra Bibi was taken into custody at the court premises.
Imran Khan did not attend the court session on January 13 when the verdict was postponed for the third time. He had previously accused the delays of being part of a strategy to exert pressure on him. This latest conviction is his fourth major one.
Earlier convictions, announced in January last year, involved allegations of selling state gifts, leaking state secrets, and unlawful marriage. These convictions were either overturned or suspended. Despite his claims of a political witch hunt, Khan remains behind bars, facing numerous pending legal cases.
The sentencing comes at a critical juncture, potentially jeopardizing efforts by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to negotiate with the government and resolve ongoing political conflicts.
