Imran Khan and Wife Appeal Convictions in Corruption Case

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, filed appeals against their convictions in a graft case on Monday. Khan, 72, has been in custody since August 2023, facing charges of corruption.

Khan’s lawyer, Khalid Chaudhry, confirmed to AFP outside the Islamabad High Court that the appeals had been officially submitted. He noted that the process would go through clerical procedures before a hearing is scheduled.

Imran Khan, who also gained international fame as a cricketing legend, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while his wife received a seven-year sentence in a case involving the Al-Qadir Trust, a welfare foundation they co-founded.

This case marks the latest in a series of legal challenges for Khan, who has been convicted four times since his arrest. Two of those convictions were overturned, while the sentences in the other two have been suspended.

Corruption Charges and Legal Proceedings

A special graft court found the couple guilty of “corruption and corrupt practices” related to the trust. The legal proceedings have been contentious, with the court hearing for this case having been delayed three times. The opposition party, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has alleged that the case is politically motivated, aiming to pressure Khan into stepping back from politics.

Before the conviction, Khan claimed he had been “indirectly approached” with the option of house arrest at his residence on the outskirts of Islamabad.

Bushra Bibi’s Detention and the Political Context

Bushra Bibi, a faith healer, married Khan shortly before he was elected Prime Minister in 2018. She is currently being held at the same detention facility as her husband in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad.

The legal battle for the former prime minister and his wife is seen as a crucial moment in Pakistan’s political landscape, with questions raised about the judicial and political forces shaping their fate.