Pakistan eyes fresh political turmoil, civil unrest as Ex PM Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in jail

On Friday (17th January 2025), Pakistan’s Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were pronounced guilty in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Consequently, the court sentenced the PTI founder to 14 years in jail while his wife has been awarded a sentencing of seven-years in prison.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana had previously delayed the verdict three times. On Friday, he announced the verdict in a makeshift courtroom at Adiala Jail.

Apart from jail terms, the court also imposed fines on the duo, worth Rs 1 million and Rs 500,000, respectively. If the duo fails to pay the fine, the sentencing will be further extended by six months of jail term.

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Justice Rana announced the verdict amid tight security outside Adiala Jail. After the pronouncement of the verdict, the security forces arrested Bushra from the courtroom premises.

They were indicted in the case last year on 27th Feb, shortly after the general elections. According to the allegations, Imran and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd. It was allegedly done for legalising Rs 50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government.

In August 2023, Imran was jailed in a series of legal cases, which he dubbed as “politically motivated”. Last year, he was acquitted in the cipher and Iddat cases. But in December, he was charged in the Toshakhana 2.0 case.

The case details

In December 2023, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) framed corruption charges against Imran and seven others, including his wife Bushra Bibi, in relations with the Al-Qadir University Trust.

The NAB alleged that the jailed PTI leader Imran Khan played a “pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi”. According to Dawn news report, the NAB reference added that despite getting multiple opportunities to justify and provide information, the accused deliberately refused to give information on one pretext or another.

Apart from Imran Khan, Property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Buk­hari are the other suspects.

However, instead of joining the investigation and court proceedings, they absconded. Subsequently, they were dec­lared proclaimed offenders (PO).

Bushra Bibi’s close aide, Farhat Shahzadi, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert for the PTI government’s Assets Recovery Unit, were also declared POs. Subsequently, the authorities froze the properties of all the six accused.

As per the NAB reference, Riaz’s son transferred 240 kanals of land to Shahzadi. Bukhari received land under a trust, which NAB argued did not exist at the time of the transfer, as reported by Dawn.

It was further alleged that a trust was created only after the adjustment of £190m. This raised doubts about its legitimacy and purpose.

In July 2024, Pervez Khattak, a PTI deserter, testified before a court that he was a participant in the December 2019 meeting. He alleged that during the meeting, the then-accountability adviser Mirza Shahzad Akbar produced a confidential deed in a sealed envelope for cabinet approval.

He added that when he inquired about the document, Akbar said that it was an agreement of the Pakistani government with UK’s National Crime Agency for the refund of crime proceeds.

A few days later, Imran’s then-principal secretary Azam Khan also testified that Akbar brought a note to seek the ex-PM’s appro­val to present the confidential deed in the cabinet meeting.

The minister of defence production in the PTI government, Zubaida Jalal testified before a court that ministers were “kept in the dark” on the transfer of “crime proceeds” to Malik Riaz.