On Thursday, a court in Pakistan sentenced 108 members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, to prison for their involvement in fraudulent activities following his arrest in 2023.
Among the convicted are two prominent PTI leaders, Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, who serve in Pakistan’s parliament.
“It’s unprecedented in Pakistan’s legal history that such a distressing and disgraceful event occurred. Opposition figures in both legislative houses have faced consequences based on the political narrative of Imran Khan and public discourse surrounding the constitutional struggle,” a statement on social media read after the sentences were announced for Khan and Faraz.
Zulfi Buhari, an advisor to Imran Khan, cautioned that “convicting opposition leaders one after another isn’t beneficial for our democratic system and will severely weaken an already fragile democracy.”
According to PTI sources, this month’s massive convictions also included 14 serving lawmakers. Six have already had to resign from their positions due to Pakistani legal stipulations, and it seems likely that more will follow.
In 2023, violence erupted, resulting in at least 10 fatalities. The unrest followed Khan’s arrest amid corruption allegations, with crowds expressing their anger over his actions against the influential military and damage to military property. A significant crackdown on PTI has been ongoing.
Khan remains in prison, facing a slew of charges, though many have been dismissed. Recently, he received an additional 14-year sentence, with one of the allegations being incitement related to the 2023 riots.
Khan and his supporters firmly believe all charges were fabricated for political reasons. They contend that he was ousted from his prime ministerial role in April 2022 through a coup orchestrated by local and foreign entities, including the U.S.
Fifty-eight of those sentenced on Thursday received 10-year prison terms, while the remainder were given sentences ranging from one to three years.
The anti-terrorism court stated, “The prosecution has convincingly established the case against the defendant.”
PTI has announced plans for a nationwide protest starting on August 5. According to PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, this demonstration aims to be a “historic movement” against what they perceive as politically driven prosecutions of their members, including Imran Khan.
