In another legal setback for PTI and its leader Imran Khan, the former prime minister and his wife, Bushra Bibi, received a 14-year imprisonment verdict in the Toshakhana case on Wednesday.

This follows Imran Khan’s 10-year sentence in the cypher case a day earlier, administered by a special court under the Official Secrets Act.

The accountability court judge, Mohammad Bashir, conducted the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where both Imran and Bushra are detained. The couple was also fined a combined amount of Rs1,574 million and barred from holding any public office for the next 10 years.

Reacting strongly to the verdict, the PTI termed it a “complete destruction of every law” and claimed the former premier and first lady have faced “yet another kangaroo trial.” PTI Secretary General Umar Ayub stated that the judgment would be challenged in the high court, vowing to continue the legal battle against the “prevailing injustice.”

This follows Imran Khan’s 10-year sentence in the cypher case a day earlier, administered by a special court under the Official Secrets Act.

PTI lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha emphasized that the sentences in the cypher and Toshakhana cases would not stand in any court of law. Panjutha added that the verdict has elevated the status of the former PM and his wife among the people, and now nothing could stop Imran from winning the elections.

The Toshakhana case centers around accusations that Imran and Bushra retained gifts received during official visits while Imran Khan served as prime minister. The couple is alleged to have kept these gifts instead of depositing them in the Toshakhana, contributing an amount less than the stipulated value into the national treasury. Despite repeated requests from NAB, Bushra has allegedly failed to return the gifts, leading to the legal proceedings.