Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison each on 17 December 2025 by an accountability court in Islamabad in the Toshakhana corruption case, involving alleged fraud over state gifts received from Saudi Arabia during a 2021 state visit; both were fined Rs 10 million (approximately £27,000), marking Khan’s seventh conviction this year alongside a 10-year disqualification from public office; the court rejected all defence pleas amid PTI’s outcry of “judicial murder” and vows for appeals, while the PML-N government has offered no immediate comment, heightening pre-election friction with no fresh developments reported as of 20 December 2025; stakeholders include the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as prosecutor, Khan’s PTI party decrying political vendetta, and the judiciary under scrutiny for impartiality.
Verdict Unpacks Luxury Gift Scandal
The Toshakhana case revolves around high-value state gifts, primarily a jewellery set and luxury watches gifted by Saudi Arabia valued at over Rs 140 million (around £380,000), which the prosecution claims Khan and Bibi deliberately undervalued before illegally retaining or selling them during his 2018-2022 premiership.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana delivered the ruling after a protracted trial, stating firmly, “The accused have been found guilty of misconduct in handling state gifts, causing undue loss to the national exchequer.”
Bibi, who married Khan in 2018, participated via video link from Adiala Jail, where her husband has endured solitary confinement since his August 2023 arrest, a condition PTI leaders describe as inhumane amid health concerns for the 72-year-old former cricketer.
PTI senior figure Asad Qaiser reacted vehemently outside the court, calling it a “black day for justice in Pakistan” and accusing the establishment of orchestrating the verdict to sideline Khan ahead of potential polls.
These details not only quantify the alleged graft state rules mandate depositing such gifts in the Toshakhana depository for auction but also humanise the fallout, with Khan’s supporters rallying in protests despite crackdowns, highlighting the personal toll on a family once at the pinnacle of power.
Legal Saga Spans Multiple Fronts
This conviction forms part of a broader cascade of over 100 cases against Khan since his ouster via a no-confidence vote in April 2022, including prior Toshakhana rulings like a three-year term suspended by the Islamabad High Court in 2024 and a fresh indictment in a parallel jewellery-specific Toshakhana-II case on 11 December 2024, where both pleaded not guilty.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated probes alleging Khan exploited his position to pocket valuables worth millions, stemming from diplomatic exchanges during high-profile Saudi visits in 2021, amid Pakistan’s economic diplomacy push.
PTI frames these as retaliatory strikes by the Shehbaz Sharif-led PML-N coalition and military influences, pointing to suspended sentences and bail grants in related matters like the cipher leak (14-year term) and unlawful marriage charges.
Recent Lahore High Court restorations of Khan’s pleas to consolidate cases signal judicial flux, yet the latest ruling imposes a decade-long political ban, effectively barring his electoral return. This pattern echoes regional anxieties over weaponised justice systems, with international observers like the UN noting risks to fair trials, while Pakistan’s opposition insists NAB upholds anti-corruption norms disrupted under Khan’s tenure.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Accountability in governance remains a cornerstone of ethical leadership, yet the relentless piling of convictions seven in a single year without expedited appellate relief raises profound questions about selective prosecution, eroding public faith in institutions and stoking divisions that ripple across South Asia’s interconnected polities.
The Logical Indian stands firmly for peace, empathy, and dialogue as antidotes to such polarising sagas, urging Pakistani authorities to prioritise transparent, time-bound judicial processes that affirm rule of law over political expediency, fostering harmony and coexistence between rivals rather than perpetual strife.
True social progress blooms from kindness extended even to adversaries, rebuilding trust through reforms that serve ordinary citizens caught in elite battles.
