Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in graft case

by Zain Zaman JANJUA

A Pakistan court on Friday convicted former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a landmark graft case, sentencing Khan to 14 years in prison.

Khan has been held in custody since August 2023 charged with around 200 cases but his party claim the latest conviction was being used to pressure him into stepping back from politics.

"I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief," Khan told reporters inside the court room after his conviction.

The anti-graft court convened in the jail where Khan is being held near the capital Islamabad, and convicted the couple for graft linked to a welfare foundation they established together called the Al-Qadir Trust.

"The prosecution has proven its case. Khan is convicted," said Judge Nasir Javed Rana, announcing a 14 year sentence for Khan and seven years for Bibi.

Faith healer Bibi, who was recently released on bail, was arrested at the court after the conviction, her spokeswoman Mashal Yousafzai.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said it would challenge the verdict.

The conviction comes a day after a rare meeting between PTI leaders and the government aimed at easing political tensions.

- Defiant Khan -

Khan maintains all cases against him are politically motivated and designed to keep him from returning to power.

He has been previously convicted four times since he was arrested, two of which have been overturned, while the sentences in the other two cases were suspended.

But he remained in prison over the Al-Qadir Trust case, the longest running against him, and other charges related to inciting protests.

The court's announcement has been postponed three times, with analysts saying back-room negotiations were being held.

Earlier this month, Khan said in a statement posted by his team on social media that he was "indirectly approached" about the possibility of house arrest at his sprawling home on the outskirts of the capital.

But the 72-year-old has remained defiant, firing off statements railing against the government and promising to fight his battles through the courts.

Analysts say the military are Pakistan's kingmakers, although the generals deny interfering in politics.

Since being ousted from power in 2022, the former cricket star has launched an unprecedented campaign in which he has openly criticised the country's powerful generals.

A UN panel of experts found last year that Khan's detention "had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office".

Khan was barred from standing in February's election and his PTI party were hamstrung by a widespread crackdown.

PTI won more seats than any other party in the poll, but a coalition of parties considered more pliable to the influence of the military establishment shut them out of power.

© Agence France-Presse