PTI rejects verdict as unconstitutional, illegal & politically motivated

Imran Khan’s family barred from jail as party alleges political engineering

ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday strongly rejected the verdict in the Toshakhana-II case, alleging that Imran Khan’s family and legal team were barred from a closed-door jail trial that the party termed unconstitutional, illegal and politically motivated.

In a post on X, the PTI said Imran Khan’s family was not allowed inside the jail, where a “kangaroo court announced the verdict in the Toshakhana-II case.” The party stated that a closed-door jail trial was neither free nor fair and amounted to a military-style proceeding.

The PTI also shared a video showing Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, seated in a car and questioning why she was being stopped from proceeding to the jail. “They can’t stop us. The jail trial is today,” she said in the video, describing the restrictions on the family as illegal.

Later, while speaking to the media, Aleema Khan criticised the verdict and alleged that decisions against the PTI founder were being delivered under a pre-written script. She questioned the timing of the verdict, suggesting it was rushed. “Even at night, I felt they wanted to announce the verdict quickly, taking advantage of the foggy weather,” she said.

Aleema further claimed that the planners behind the cases lacked credibility and that repeated sentences made little difference. “What difference does it make whether you sentence him to ten years or fourteen years? Earlier, you already gave him 14 years,” she remarked. Warning of growing public anger, she said the patience of both the family and the people had run out and alleged that a new verdict was being planned every six months.

She added that the family had been expecting such a verdict for the past two months and also questioned the legality of the treatment meted out to Bushra Bibi, asking why she had been kept in what she described as illegal solitary confinement.

PTI leader Omar Ayub also condemned the judgment, calling the sentences awarded to the former prime minister and his wife those of a “kangaroo court.” “There is no rule of law in Pakistan,” he said in a post on X.

In a detailed statement, the PTI’s Central Media Department rejected the sentences, terming them unconstitutional, illegal and driven by political revenge. The party alleged that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s lawyers were not present when the verdict was announced and that their families were also barred from the court, in violation of basic judicial requirements.

“This is open contempt of court, contempt of law and contempt of justice,” the statement said. The party further argued that the sentence amounted to a second punishment for the same charge, in violation of the Constitution, criminal law and the international principle of double jeopardy. PTI alleged that the courts had been turned into an instrument of political engineering rather than an independent forum. Staff Report