Imran Khan calls for protests, plans legal challenge to Toshakhana-II verdict

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has called for nationwide protests and said he will challenge his conviction in the Toshakhana-II case, following a court verdict that sentenced him and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison.

Khan’s remarks were conveyed through his legal team after a special court announced the sentence on Saturday. The former premier, who remains incarcerated at Adiala jail, does not have direct access to his social media accounts.

According to Pakistani media reports, Khan said he had asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prepare for a street movement, urging citizens to rise for what he described as their fundamental rights. He also instructed his lawyers to approach the Islamabad High Court to contest the ruling.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder said the verdict did not come as a surprise, claiming it was delivered in haste and without due legal process. He alleged that neither evidence was properly examined nor his legal team adequately heard during the proceedings, describing the decision as part of a pattern of what he called baseless rulings over the past three years.

Khan further said it was now unavoidable for the Insaf Lawyers Forum and the wider legal fraternity to step forward in defence of the rule of law and the Constitution.

In a separate statement, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf condemned the verdict, calling it unconstitutional, illegal and a clear case of political victimisation.

The Toshakhana-II case relates to the alleged purchase of a high-value jewellery set that Khan received as a gift from the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, which investigators say was bought at a nominal price in violation of rules.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Shahrukh Arjumand of the Federal Investigation Agency’s special court during proceedings held inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Under the ruling, Khan was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and a further seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bushra Bibi received an identical sentence under the same provisions.

The court also imposed fines totalling Rs 16.4 million on the couple, warning that failure to pay would result in additional imprisonment. In its order, the court said it had taken into account Khan’s age and Bushra Bibi’s status as a woman while awarding what it described as a relatively lenient punishment.

The verdict is expected to further intensify political tensions in Pakistan, with Khan’s supporters likely to mobilise in response to his call for protests.

With IANS inputs