Islamabad, Dec 21: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to additional prison terms in a fraud case involving state gifts. They were found guilty of violating Pakistan’s rules on gifts after Bibi received a luxury Bulgari jewellery set from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.

Khan and Bibi are already serving sentences for previous convictions. The new rulings—10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, along with a fine exceeding 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600)—are set to run concurrently with their existing terms. Khan’s lawyer described the charges as politically motivated and said the team plans to challenge the verdict in the high court. The legal team reportedly learned of the sentencing late Friday night, after normal court hours.

This case, referred to as Toshakhana 2, is part of a broader legal battle against Khan, who has faced more than 100 cases since his ouster in April 2022, including corruption, leaking state secrets, selling state gifts, and terrorism-related charges connected to violent protests on May 9, 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a separate corruption case.

Under Pakistan’s rules, gifts from foreign dignitaries must go to the Toshakhana (state treasury), though politicians can buy them back. Khan is accused of having a private firm undervalue the jewellery set and then purchasing it at a reduced price. He has previously faced a separate Toshakhana case, which is currently under appeal, and has other pending cases against him.

Despite being in jail since August 2023, Khan has maintained an active social media presence, posting messages critical of Pakistan’s government and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. He was denied visitors for nearly a month in November; after a brief family visit in early December, posts attributed to him called Munir “mentally unstable.” No family visits have been allowed since.

The court noted that Khan’s age was a factor in issuing a comparatively lenient sentence.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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