ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife to 14 years in prison for corruption, prison officials said, a day after another special court convicted Khan for leaking state secrets and gave him a 10-year prison sentence.
Khan and his wife are accused of retaining and selling state gifts when the former premier was in power.
The court also disqualified Khan for years from holding any public office ahead of Feb. 8 parliamentary elections.
A senior official in the party, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was accused of manipulating the contents of the diplomatic cable to gain political advantage, was also convicted and given a 10-year sentence.
The latest development came three weeks after Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were indicted on graft charges for retaining state gifts including jewelry and watches from Saudi Arabia’s government, authorities said.
The court order was another blow to Khan. He and Bibi had pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out at a court at the prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi earlier this month.
Khan briefly attended the court hearing when the judge announced the verdict.
One of Khan’s sisters, Aleema Khan, denounced the trial and said her brother was denied a fair hearing. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Khan, she said, adding that the verdict was delivered in haste.
She urged Khan’s supporters to turn out in large numbers at the polls on Feb. 8 and vote for PTI candidates in solidarity with her brother. Qureshi’s family similarly denounced his verdict and vowed to challenge it in court.
Khan has maintained his innocence, saying he did not disclose the exact contents of the cable. His party said Khan’s legal team planned to appeal the conviction before the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday.
Other charges against Khan range from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence.
Despite discontent with the government, analysts say turnout in the upcoming election may remain low since Khan is the only one in his party who had the charisma to attract the masses.
“The dejected and disappointed supporters of Imran Khan will stay away from the voting because they have a fear in their mind that their party is not going to win the elections,” said Azim Chaudhry, a political analyst, calling PTI a “leaderless party.”
Pakistan’s human rights commission has said there is little chance of a free and fair parliamentary election since so many candidates from Khan’s party have been rejected.
The PTI said in a statement that it stands with Khan and Qureshi, “who defended Pakistan and stood for real independence.” The party described the proceedings as a “sham trial” and said the judge did not even allow Khan’s and Qureshi’s lawyers to defend them.
However, the party asked his supporters to remain peaceful and not resort to violence.
“We should harness and channel these energies for the polling day” to ensure that Khan’s candidates win the vote “with a thumping majority,” said Omar Ayub, a longtime supporter.
Pakistan has a history of arresting former prime ministers or sidelining them ahead of elections if they are deemed to pose a challenge to the security establishment.
In 2018, three-time premier and Khan’s rival Nawaz Sharif was hobbled by legal cases and prison sentences. Khan’s party won the polls and formed a coalition government.
This time around, Sharif has a clear path to a fourth term in office after the supreme court acquitted him on all charges and scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with criminal convictions from contesting elections.
