Overview
- A special court sitting inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail sentenced the former prime minister and his wife to 17 years each over retaining and selling state gifts tied to a 2021 Saudi Bulgari jewelry set that prosecutors say was steeply undervalued.
- The judgment cites Pakistan Penal Code sections 34 and 409 and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and orders fines of roughly USD 58,000 for each defendant.
- PTI and family members condemned the ruling as politically driven, while high court advocate Tania Bazai argued the case rested on documentary evidence and testimony from Khan’s senior aides.
- Authorities deployed more than 1,300 additional police and security personnel in Rawalpindi after Khan urged supporters to protest the verdict.
- UN experts, including the Special Rapporteur on torture, have criticized Khan’s detention conditions as inhumane, and aggregated reporting notes his cumulative sentences now total about 65 years across multiple cases since 2022.