Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, another setback for the beleaguered leader who has already spent over 18 months in jail and is facing more than 100 cases.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were found guilty of illegally obtaining lucrative plots of land, worth billions of rupees, through a corrupt deal with a Pakistani property tycoon. Khan was given a 14-year sentence while his wife was given seven years, and Khan was fined 1m Pakistan rupees (£2,900).
The accountability court that ruled in the case had been specially set up inside Adialia prison in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been held since his arrest in August 2023. Bibi was arrested in the courtroom after the verdict was given.
Khan, who remains the country’s most popular political figure, has maintained that the cases against him are part of a “political witchunt” to keep him out of power. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governed from 2018 to 2022 but he was toppled from office after losing the support of the country’s powerful military. He subsequently embarked on a public spat with the army leadership, accusing them of involvement in a plan to assassinate him.
Since his arrest he has faced a mounting number of cases, including murder, terrorism, and breaching national security. Khan was convicted in three cases, including for selling state secrets and illegal marriage, but they were later overturned or suspended last year. However, he has remained in prison.
In a statement, Khan’s party called the ruling a “black day” and alleged it was proof of the lack of independence of Pakistan’s courts.
Zulfi Bukhari, an adviser to Khan and spokesperson for PTI, said they would be appealing against the verdict in the high courts and alleged the judge in the case had “no credibility”.
“This is another example of undeclared martial law in practice, which allows those in power to make a mockery of the justice system in order to silence their political opponents,” said Bukhari. “Imran Khan is strong and determined and he will continue to fight for justice and the return of the rule of law and democracy in his country.”
The case, which Khan previously described as “bogus”, involves Malik Riaz, one of Pakistan’s richest and most powerful property developers. According to the charges, Khan and Bibi made a quid pro quo deal with Riaz who gave them large amounts of lucrative land to establish a university for the poor and in return they enabled Riaz to launder $239m (£195m).
Reports emerged on Friday that senior PTI members had met military leadership. But standing outside the court after his conviction, Khan said he would not be entering into any backdoor deals to get his freedom. “I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief,” Khan told reporters. “Those who stand against dictatorship are punished.”
