Pakistan Court Sentences Ex-PM Imran Khan And His Wife Bushra Bibi To 17 Years In Prison

A Pakistan accountability court on Saturday sentenced jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each for the Toshakhana corruption case, as per local reports.

The special court judge Shahrukh Arjumand delivered the verdict during a hearing held at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, where Imran is imprisoned.

The sentences mentioned that the old age of Imran Khan, along with the fact that Bushra Bibi is female, has resulted in a "lenient" and a lesser punishment, Dawn reported, citing from the court's order copy. Both of them were fined Rs16.4 million, and failure to pay the fines will result in additional jail time. 

What is the Toshakhana Case?

The case is about alleged fraud which involves the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set which was gifted to the former first couple by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021 at a throwaway price.

Earlier this year in October, Imran and Bushra Bibi denied all allegations in the case and termed it a fabricated and politically motivated attempt to disqualify the former Pak PM from politics, as quoted by local media reports.

Imran Khan had rejected the prosecution's narrative in the case. He alleged that the entire case was “malicious, fabricated, and politically engineered,” as per Dawn.

He further contended that he did not qualify as a "public servant" under the Pakistan Penal Code, arguing that even in his capacity as prime minister, he was unaware of the specific details of the gift, which he said was presented to his wife.

According to the local reports, the PTI founder maintained his stance that due process was followed in accordance with the Toshakhana Policy 2018 and said the gift was reported to the PM Office protocol section, assessed, and legally retained after payment was deposited into the national exchequer. "We complied with the Toshakhana Policy in letter and spirit," he said. 

The Toshakhana Case refers to a high-profile corruption case in Pakistan involving the alleged misuse of state gifts by the government officials. The controversy centres on the improper declaration, undervaluation, or unauthorised sale of gifts received from foreign dignitaries and kept in the government’s Toshakhana, or “state gift repository”. 

'You Promised Free Speech': Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Urges Elon Musk

This comes after the UN and the ex-PM's former wife, Jemima Goldsmith, have called out Pakistan's government to take immediate and effective action to address reports of inhumane and undignified detention conditions of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, warning that they could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment.

She has made a direct public appeal to X owner Elon Musk, alleging that posts related to the former Pakistan prime minister are being suppressed on the platform.

In a post on X, she described the situation as a “personal plea”, claiming that her two sons have been denied any contact with their father, Imran Khan, who she said has been “held unlawfully (according to the UN) for 22 months of solitary confinement”.

“My two sons have not been allowed to see or speak to their father, Imran Khan,” she wrote, alleging prolonged isolation and lack of basic rights. She further claimed that X remains “the only place left where we can still tell the world he is a political prisoner without basic human rights” but alleged that even this avenue is being restricted.

She concluded by urging Musk to intervene directly, asking him to “fix the visibility filtering” on her account so that her message about Imran Khan’s detention could reach a wider audience.