Imran Khan and his wife sentenced to 14 years in jail; they also have to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m; $5.3m).
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14 years in jail, one day after Imran was given a 10-year sentence. Imran, who used to be the leader of Pakistan but was removed in 2022, is already serving three years for corruption. On Tuesday, he got in trouble for sharing government secrets, and on Wednesday, he got another 14 years for another corruption case. Imran says all these cases are just because of politics.
This is the second time he’s been found guilty in two days, and this is all happening a week before Pakistan’s elections. Even though Imran is still liked by many, he can’t run in the election on February 8th. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is also facing some problems with their campaigning.
We’re not sure yet, but it’s possible that Imran can serve both sentences at the same time. He’s been in jail since last August, mostly in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. His wife Bushra Bibi, who was out on bail, also went to jail on Wednesday. They got married in 2018, a few months before Imran became the prime minister.
They both strongly said they didn’t do anything wrong, but Pakistan’s anti-corruption people said they sold or kept gifts from the government for themselves. These gifts included jewelry from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, the court said they were guilty, and besides the 14-year jail terms, they also have to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m; $5.3m).
On Wednesday, Imran’s party said that because of the sentences, he won’t be able to be in public office for 10 years. A spokesperson for his party called the decision “Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled.” Imran didn’t like Tuesday’s decision either, where a judge said he revealed a secret document and hurt diplomatic relations.
Imran and his party say all these cases are fake and that the trials are rushed and unfair. After Tuesday’s decision, Imran told his followers to vote on February 8th and get justice peacefully. He said, “Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick.”
A lot of people are worried that the election on Thursday won’t be fair because Imran, who is still very popular, and his party are facing problems. The government says they’re not trying to stop PTI, but many of its leaders are in jail or left the party. Some of their candidates are running as independent, and some are hiding.
The person who might win is Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister three times before. He came back from hiding in the fall and is seen as the military’s favorite now. Imran used to be close to the military, but now they don’t like him.
