The former Pakistan captain and ex PM of the nation has been taken into police custody after being sanctioned with a serious charge of not declaring the proceeds of state gifts.
Pakistani authorities on Saturday (August 5) arrested Imran Khan and sentenced the former Pakistan captain to a three-year jail term. The former Prime Minister of the country, who oversaw the reigns of the nation from 2018 to 2022, has been put behind bars.
According to a report in Reuters, the 70-year-old charismatic ex skipper, renowned for Pakistan’s inspirational run to the 1992 World Cup title under his leadership, has been jailed for undeclared proceeds of state gifts to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Imran’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), however, has filed an appeal in the country’s Supreme Court against the jail sentence after the latest attempt to arrest the preceding national supremo came to fruition for the police offficials.
Two previous attempts to take Imran Khan into custody from his residence had been met with major resistance from his supporters and led to social chaos, which helped him and his party nullify those attempts ultimately.
In May, when Imran was briefly arrested, protests and riots were observed across Pakistan from PTI supporters, forcing the government to impose a severe crackdown against his party and introduce a bill that would try his supporters in the military courts.
But since that was a direct violation of international law by the reigning government, Imran was released two days after his arrest, with the Supreme Court declaring the arrest and police action illegal. However, post-release on May 11, Imran had been ordered to appear for more than 150 cases registered against him by the government.
In recent months, the ex cricketer turned politician had frequently hinted feeling at risk of being arrested at some point as he eventually got on Saturday afternoon after being found guilty in a case pertaining to hiding from Election Commission the details of the revenue earned from selling state gifts.
Apart from the three-year term, which is a maximum possible sentence of penalty under the existing Pakistan law in relation to the case, Imran has also been made liable to pay off a fine of PKR 100,000.
The legendary cricketer’s lawyers have already filed an appeal against the verdict. The concerning laws allow the appellate court to defer or suspend the punishment until the appeal is resolved by the Supreme Court.
