Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in graft case by Pakistan court

Speaking in court after the conviction, Khan said, "I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief."

Imran Khan

Khan, who has been in custody since August 2023, faces charges in around 200 cases. (Photo: Getty Images)

A PAKISTAN court on Friday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison after convicting him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a graft case involving the Al-Qadir Trust.

Khan, who has been in custody since August 2023, faces charges in around 200 cases. His party claims the latest conviction is an attempt to silence him.


Speaking in court after the conviction, Khan said, "I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief."

The anti-graft court, which convened at the jail near Islamabad where Khan is held, found him and his wife guilty of corruption in connection with the welfare foundation they established.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the sentences, with Khan receiving 14 years and Bibi seven years.

Bushra Bibi, who had recently been granted bail, was arrested again at the court following her conviction, according to her spokeswoman Mashal Yousafzai.

Khan has maintained that the charges against him are politically motivated and intended to prevent his return to power.

Analysts suggest the jail term is being used to pressure Khan into agreeing to step back from politics.

Since his ousting in 2022, Khan has openly criticised Pakistan's powerful military establishment.

Despite being handed four convictions, two of which have been overturned, and having sentences in two cases suspended, he remains in prison due to pending cases.

A UN panel of experts found last year that Khan's detention lacked a legal basis and appeared intended to disqualify him from political office.

Khan was barred from participating in February's election. Although his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), won the most seats, they were unable to form a government as a coalition of parties considered more favourable to the military took power.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

british-muslims

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

iStock)

Government announces fund to combat anti-Muslim hate

THE UK government has announced a new fund to monitor anti-Muslim hate and support victims, with applications opening on 7 April.

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian drug dealer known as 'starkcake' jailed for 18 years

Heemal Vaid (Photo: NCA)

Asian drug dealer known as 'starkcake' jailed for 18 years

A 49-year-old Asian drug dealer who masterminded the import and sale of cocaine and heroin worth more than £4 million has been jailed for 18 years, after National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators identified him from secret phone messages.

British Indian Heemal Vaid, of Cheam, used EncroChat – an encrypted phone service for criminals – to broker deals, unaware that in 2020, an international law enforcement team would crack EncroChat’s encryption.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: How migration matters in Labour’s economic plans

The Starmer administration is using increasingly hawkish language on immigration

Comment: How migration matters in Labour’s economic plans

GOING for growth is a core mission for prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

So cutting the growth forecast for this year in half to one per cent was an inauspicious start to chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement. The projection remains below two per cent through the parliament.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump announced a series of tariff increases targeting various nations, including key US allies such as the UK and the European Union.

Getty Images

Trump’s tariffs hit global markets, Starmer warns of 'economic impact'

The UK and other global economies reacted on Thursday to US president Donald Trump's newly imposed tariffs, with prime minister Keir Starmer warning of an “economic impact” from the 10 per cent levy on British exports.

Trump announced a series of tariff increases targeting various nations, including key US allies such as the UK and the European Union.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions
Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions

THE Sri Lanka government on Wednesday (2) formed a committee to recommend measures regarding the UK's decision to impose sanctions on three former military commanders who led the campaign that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

Health minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that foreign minister Vijitha Herath, justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara and deputy minister of defence Aruna Jayasekara would comprise the committee that would consult experts for the purpose.

Keep ReadingShow less