PTI Chief Calls for Nationwide Protests After 17-Year Sentence; Is Pakistan on the Brink Again?

Imran Khan in Prison: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has reportedly appealed to his supporters to prepare for protests across the country. He currently does not have access to social media accounts and has conveyed his message through his legal team.

He also announced his intention to challenge the verdict against him in the Islamabad High Court after he and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II corruption case.

ANI reported that according to a post on X describing the conversation between Khan and his lawyer, the PTI founder instructed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to start preparations for mass street movement.

“I sent a message [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister] Sohail Afridi is preparing for street action. “The entire nation will need to stand up for its rights,” he said.

Khan stated that the decision did not surprise him and said that he had instructed his legal team to appeal to the high court against the decision. “Like the unfounded decisions and sentences of the last three years, the Toshakhana-II decision is nothing new for me. This decision was made hastily by the judge without any evidence and without fulfilling legal requirements.” he said, adding that his legal team “wasn’t even listened to.”

Dawn also stated that the Insaf Lawyers Forum and the wider legal community must take a leading role in defending constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, emphasizing that economic progress is impossible without justice.

Also Read- Pakistan Court Sentences Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and His Wife Bushra Bibi to 17 Years in Prison

PTI’s Claims

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in an official statement called the decision “clearly unconstitutional, illegal, malicious and the worst form of political revenge and a textbook case of victimisation”.

PTI leaders claimed that the conviction was only aimed at prolonging Imran Khan’s detention and easing pressure on what they termed the “petrified ruling clique”.

Moreover, PTI leaders also alleged that the political victimization was being carried out through a “subservient” judiciary and was undermining the rule of law in the country.

Addressing a press conference along with senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja said that he met Imran Khan’s chief counsel Lawyer Salman Safdar in the courtroom and shared a message for the nation. He quoted Khan as saying: “I am firm and determined and will not seek an apology from anyone, no matter what.”

Raja also claimed that the case was based solely on promissory notes and lacked substantial evidence. “They have no witnesses other than the person the PTI founder himself has come forward with,” he said.

Imran Khan in Jail

Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, raising concerns about the credibility of the judicial process.

The case reportedly involves allegations of undervaluing a PKR 71 million Bulgari jewelery set received from the Saudi Crown Prince.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were booked under sections related to criminal breach of trust and corruption.

(with ANI entries)