Major setback for PTI as Imran Khan disqualified for 10 years in Toshakhana case

The Accountability Court on Wednesday disqualified the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for 10 years and sentenced the former Prime Minister and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years in rigorous prison.

Denied its iconic bat symbol and struggling to hold itself together as party leadership embroiled in legal woes, the PTI faces another devastating blow with the recent disqualification of its leader.

Judge Mohammad Bashir of the Accountability Court disqualified Imran Khan from holding any public office for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs1.573 billion on him and Bushra Bibi.

In the Toshakhana case, Imran Khan is accused of acquiring valuable gifts from foreign countries at a reduced price during his tenure as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. Subsequently, he is alleged to have sold these gifts for a total of $635,000.

Among Imran Khan's received items is a watch from Saudi Arabia, featuring a model of the Kaaba. The watch is estimated to be worth Rs60-65 crore in the international market.

A day earlier, the special court handed down ten-year imprisonment to both former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.