Pakistan court sentences former prime minister Imran Khan to 17 years in gifts case

A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison over corruption linked to gifts Khan received while in office.

The verdict marks another legal blow for Khan, who has faced numerous cases since his ouster from power in 2022. Jailed since 2023, he has denied all allegations, claiming he is the target of political persecution.

Both Khan and Bibi were given 10-year sentences for criminal breach of trust and an additional seven years for corruption in a case centred on the alleged undervaluation of state gifts.

Pakistani law requires public officials to declare gifts they receive, though items below a certain value may be kept or repurchased at a discounted rate.

Saturday’s ruling relates to accusations that a jewellery set by Italian luxury brand Bulgari, gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in May 2021, was deliberately undervalued.

This case is separate from an earlier one involving luxury watches, also gifts from Prince Mohammed, for which Khan was sentenced to 14 years and Bibi to seven.

Reacting on X, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, condemned the verdict, calling it the work of a “kangaroo court” aimed at prolonging Khan’s “illegal and unjust incarceration,” and said the cases were politically motivated.

Party spokesman Syed Zulfikhar Bukhari told AFP the decision “ignores basic principles of justice,” arguing that criminal liability was imposed without evidence of intent, gain, or loss and was based on a retrospective interpretation of the rules.

Khan’s family has meanwhile stepped up efforts to highlight his prison conditions. In a recent Sky News interview, his son Kasim Khan said the former leader was being held in “complete isolation,” with no contact even with prison guards or his personal doctor, describing the situation as “psychological torture.”

Pakistan’s government has repeatedly denied such claims.