Fri Jan 17 07:58:19 UTC 2025: ## Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan Jailed for 14 Years in Corruption Case

**Islamabad, Pakistan** – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges, a landmark conviction that his party claims is politically motivated. A court found Khan guilty alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi, who received a seven-year sentence, in a case involving the Al-Qadir Trust, a welfare foundation they established.

The anti-corruption court, convened at Khan’s jail near Islamabad, delivered the verdict on Friday. Judge Nasir Javed Rana declared the prosecution had proven its case. Bibi, recently released on bail, was immediately rearrested following the conviction.

Khan, who has been in custody since August facing numerous charges, vehemently rejected any suggestion of a deal to secure his release. “I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief,” he stated to reporters after the sentencing.

Khan’s party alleges the conviction is an attempt to silence his criticism of the country’s powerful military establishment. Since his ouster from power in 2022, Khan has launched a significant campaign openly criticizing the generals. He maintains all charges against him are politically motivated and aimed at preventing his return to politics.

This is Khan’s fifth conviction, though previous sentences have been overturned or suspended. A UN panel previously deemed his detention unlawful and possibly intended to bar him from political office. This assertion is supported by his disqualification from February’s elections, where his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, despite winning the most seats, was excluded from power by a coalition government perceived as more amenable to military influence. The sentence had been delayed several times amidst speculation of attempts to pressure Khan into a political compromise.

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