Imran Khan and wife handed additional jail terms in Pakistan state gift case

A Pakistani court has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to additional prison terms after convicting them in a corruption case involving the alleged misuse of state gifts. The verdict adds to a growing list of legal judgments against Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023 and maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated.

Sentences added to existing prison terms

The court found Khan and Bushra Bibi guilty of criminal breach of trust and misconduct linked to a luxury jewellery set received during a 2021 state visit to Saudi Arabia. Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi received a seven-year term. Both were also fined more than 16 million Pakistani rupees, equivalent to about £42,600.

According to court officials, the new sentences will run concurrently with earlier convictions, meaning they will not extend the total time Khan is currently expected to serve unless future appeals alter the legal landscape. The judgment noted that the court exercised leniency in sentencing Khan due to his age.

Details of the Toshakhana 2 case

The case, commonly referred to in Pakistan as Toshakhana 2, centres on a Bulgari jewellery set presented to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an official visit in 2021, court documents show.

Under Pakistan’s rules governing state gifts, known collectively as the Toshakhana system, gifts received by public office holders are deposited with the state treasury. Recipients are permitted to retain such items only by declaring them and paying a prescribed value to the government.

Prosecutors alleged that Khan arranged for a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, allowing it to be purchased back at a fraction of its market price. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that this amounted to a misuse of authority and a breach of public trust.

Imran Khan state gift case and Pakistan’s Toshakhana rules

The Toshakhana framework has long been a sensitive issue in Pakistani politics, with past governments accused of lax oversight and selective enforcement. The system allows officials to retain gifts by paying a percentage of their assessed value, a provision critics say has enabled abuse when valuations are manipulated.

Khan has previously argued that the practice was legal and followed by leaders across party lines. His supporters say the repeated focus on Toshakhana cases reflects an attempt to disqualify him from politics rather than a neutral application of the law.

Legal response and planned appeal

Khan’s legal team said they were informed of the sentencing late on Friday night, outside regular court hours. Speaking to the BBC after the hearing, his lawyer Salman Safdar said the defence would challenge the verdict in a higher court.

Safdar reiterated Khan’s position that the charges are politically driven and aimed at keeping him behind bars. Pakistani authorities have consistently rejected accusations of political interference, saying the courts are acting independently.

A growing list of convictions

The jewellery case is one of several legal proceedings faced by Khan since his removal from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. He has been in custody since August 2023.

In January, a court sentenced him to 14 years in prison in a separate corruption case. Khan has also been charged in an earlier Toshakhana case involving other state gifts, though that conviction has been challenged and the sentence suspended pending appeal.

Khan has faced more than 100 legal cases, according to statements from his party, though the exact number has not been independently verified. The charges span allegations from leaking state secrets to inciting unrest.

Other cases still pending

Among the unresolved cases are terrorism-related charges linked to violent protests on 9 May 2023, when Khan was briefly arrested, triggering nationwide unrest and attacks on military installations. Those events marked a sharp escalation in tensions between Khan’s supporters and the country’s powerful military establishment.

Legal analysts say the accumulation of cases has made it increasingly difficult for Khan to secure release, even if he succeeds in overturning individual convictions.

Limited contact and political messaging

Khan, now 73, has not appeared in public since his detention began. While incarcerated, he has been largely cut off from family visits, with long periods during which no visitors were allowed.

His social media accounts, however, remain active, with posts attributed to him appearing on X after meetings with lawyers or permitted visitors. These messages have frequently criticised Pakistan’s current government and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, accusing him of authoritarian behaviour.

In November, Khan was reportedly denied visitors for nearly a month. After pressure from his family and party, his sister was allowed to see him in early December. Hours later, his social media account posted a message attributed to Khan that sharply criticised the army chief, drawing further attention to his conditions of detention.

Political impact and wider context

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says the legal cases have crippled its ability to operate and campaign, particularly ahead of national elections held earlier this year. Several senior party figures have been jailed or have defected, while others face legal restrictions.

International human rights groups have raised concerns about due process and the broader climate for political opposition in Pakistan, though they have stopped short of endorsing Khan’s claims of a coordinated conspiracy against him.

For now, Khan remains behind bars, facing a complex web of appeals and pending cases that will likely keep him at the centre of Pakistan’s political and legal debates for months, if not years, to come.