Pakistani: In the Toshakhana-II Corruption Case, a court sentences former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison
Pakistani: In the Toshakhana-II corruption case, which involves the alleged abuse of state gifts from the Saudi government in 2021, a Pakistan accountability court sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison apiece on Saturday. Special Judge Shahrukh Arjumand delivered the decision at Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail. The lawsuit revolves on allegations that the former first couple handled government gifts acquired when Khan was prime minister and committed fraud. The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who has been imprisoned in many instances since August 2023, has suffered yet another significant legal defeat with the judgment.
Under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which addresses criminal breach of trust, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were given ten years of severe jail, per the court ruling. Additionally, under other articles of the Prevention of Corruption Act, both were sentenced to seven years in jail. Each of them was also fined Rs 10 million by the court. Tight security measures were in place inside the prison when the ruling was given. Because it concerns how presents from foreign dignitaries were handled when Khan was in power, the Toshakhana-II case has garnered a lot of attention.
The new sentence coincides with growing criticism of the Pakistani government for allegedly mistreating Imran Khan while he was incarcerated. Concerned about Khan’s imprisonment circumstances, the UN has demanded that he be freed from solitary confinement. Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Isa Khan, Khan’s sons, made grave accusations about their father’s treatment earlier this week, saying he had been kept in solitary confinement for over two years. The family expressed serious concerns about his physical and mental health and wanted “proof of life.”
The circumstances are exceedingly disturbing, according to Kasim Khan, who spoke publicly, adding, “The conditions are not poor, they are horrific… For more than two years, he has been kept in a solitary confinement cell with dirty water and detainees who are dying of hepatitis. We’re making an effort to believe. Seeing a route out is very difficult. We fear that we may never see him again. In addition, both brothers claimed that the former prime minister was being “psychologically tortured” in what they called a “death cell” at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Since August 2023, Imran Khan, 73, has been detained in relation to many charges. Unverified reports of his death went viral on social media site X last month, raising a lot of anxiety. Authorities in Pakistan, however, vehemently refuted the rumors. Khan is “completely well” and getting all the medical attention he needs, according to the Adiala Jail administration. Additionally, officials reiterated that the PTI leadership has been informed on his health and incarceration status, dismissing claims of his removal from the jail as unfounded.