Imran Khan To Move High Court, Urges Street Protests After Toshakhana-II Verdict

Jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan called for nationwide protests and said he would challenge the verdict in the Toshakhana-II case before the Islamabad High Court, local media reported on Sunday. Khan’s remarks came a day after a Pakistani court sentenced him and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison in a corruption case linked to gifts received during his time in office. Since the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is still in jail, he does not have direct access to social media accounts.

According to Dawn, Khan conveyed his message through his lawyer and he himself shared the details of his conversation about X. “To prepare for the street movement, I sent a message to (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister) Sohail Afridi. The entire nation will have to stand up for their rights,” Khan said.

He said the decision was not a surprise and instructed his legal team to approach the high court against the decision. “Like the unfounded decisions and sentences given in the last three years, the Toshakhana-II decision is nothing new for me. This decision was made by the judge hastily, without any evidence and without fulfilling legal requirements,” he said.

Khan also claimed that his lawyers “were not even heard” during the hearings and said it was inevitable that the Insaf Lawyers Forum and the wider legal community would “come to the fore” to defend the rule of law and restore the Constitution.

In a statement, PTI described the punishment as “clearly unconstitutional, illegal, malicious and the worst form of political revenge” and called it a “textbook case of victimisation”.

The Toshakhana-II case concerns the purchase of an expensive jewelery set that the Saudi Crown Prince gifted to Khan during his state visit in May 2021, which prosecutors allege was purchased at a nominal price.

The verdict was given by Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand of the Federal Investigation Agency special court during hearings held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison, where Khan is currently being held.

According to the decision, Khan was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and another seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act, increasing the total sentence to 17 years. Bushra Bibi was also sentenced to the same sentence under the same provisions.

The court also fined both Khan and his wife 16.4 million rupees; Additional imprisonment was also foreseen in case of non-payment.

According to Dawn, the order said, “While imposing the sentences, this court took into account the old age of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi as well as the fact that Bushra Imran Khan is a woman.” “Considering both factors in question, a lenient perspective was adopted in imposing a lesser sentence.”

(With inputs from IANS)