Toshakhana verdict: After 17-year sentence, Imran Khan plans street movement, legal challenge

Imran Khan urges supporters to prepare for a mass street movement as PTI alleges political victimisation following Toshakhana verdict

PGurus Newsdesk

December 21, 2025

Imran Khan rejects 17-year sentence, moves high court

Khan says verdict rushed and without evidence

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on his supporters to prepare for nationwide protests and announced plans to challenge his conviction in the Islamabad High Court, days after he and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II corruption case.

According to Dawn, Khan, who currently does not have access to his social media accounts, conveyed the message through his legal team following the verdict.

‘Nation must rise for its rights’

In a post on X recounting a conversation between Khan and his lawyer, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder said he had instructed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to begin preparations for a mass street movement.

“I have sent a message to [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister] Sohail Afridi to prepare for the street movement. The entire nation will have to rise for its rights,” Khan said.

Khan maintained that the verdict did not surprise him and accused the trial court of delivering a rushed judgment without due process.

Plans legal challenge

“Like the baseless decisions and sentences of the last three years, the Toshakhana-II decision is also nothing new to me,” Khan said, alleging that the ruling was delivered “without any evidence” and without fulfilling legal requirements.

He claimed that his legal team was not properly heard and confirmed that he had already directed his lawyers to move the Islamabad High Court against the sentence.

Khan also urged the Insaf Lawyers Forum and the broader legal fraternity to take a leading role in defending constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, warning that economic progress was impossible without justice.

PTI cries political victimisation

In an official statement, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf termed the verdict “blatantly unconstitutional, illegal, malicious and the worst form of political revenge.”

PTI leaders alleged that the conviction was aimed at prolonging Khan’s imprisonment and easing pressure on what they described as a “petrified ruling clique.” They further accused a “subservient judiciary” of facilitating political victimisation and undermining the rule of law.

‘Will not apologise’, says Khan

Addressing a press conference alongside senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said Imran Khan met his lead counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, in court and shared a message for the nation.

“I am standing firm and resolute and will not seek an apology from anyone, come what may,” Raja quoted Khan as saying.

Raja further alleged that the prosecution’s case rested largely on promissory notes and lacked substantive evidence, claiming that there were no credible witnesses.

Public confidence in judiciary questioned

The sentencing has sparked widespread debate across Pakistan, with residents, journalists and legal observers questioning the credibility of the judicial process.

Speaking to ANI, Lahore resident Hamid Riaz Doger said public confidence in the courts had eroded sharply.

“The judiciary has become so weak that the public no longer has any confidence in its rulings,” he said, pointing to recent mass convictions and alleging political motivations behind the Toshakhana verdict.

Another Lahore resident, Zaki Ullah Mujahid, said the ruling had further weakened faith in democratic institutions.

“This spectacle has eroded public trust in Pakistan’s democracy and its institutions. The forceful way in which this matter is being pursued is certainly not commendable,” he said.

Case details

The Toshakhana-II case involves allegations that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi undervalued a Bulgari jewellery set worth over PKR 71 million, received from the Saudi Crown Prince, and retained it in violation of state gift rules.

Both were convicted under sections related to criminal breach of trust and corruption, leading to the 17-year jail sentence.

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