Rabat – On Wednesday morning, both former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison following accusations over state gifts which they received and illegally sold, whilst in office.
The gifts accepted include a jewellery set from the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
This act will be punished with a hefty prison sentence and a fine each to pay of 787 million rupees. Moreover, neither will be allowed to hold public office for 10 years.
The news came just a day after Khan was sentenced to 10 years for leaking classified state documents, popularly known as the Cipher case, and just a week before Pakistan is due to hold its elections.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the two sentences will run consecutively or concurrently, but there is speculation that they will run concurrently.
Following his sentence on Tuesday, Khan posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, suggesting that his followers should “take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8 while remaining peaceful.”However, he is yet to comment on Wednesday’s ruling.
Meanwhile, Khan’s lawyer has declared that an appeal will be launched to Pakistan’s High Court for both cases.
The events of the last couple of days have left many questioning whether the elections that are due to take place next week will be credible, given the now tarnished reputation of the political party Khan founded in 1996, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
With many candidates on the run, and several others who are now contesting as independents, the future of PTI is in a state of tatters, with its outcome set to be decided in next week’s elections.
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