Both negotiating sides want Imran Khan to remain in jail: Faisal Vawda

Senator Faisal Vawda has said that negotiators from both the government and PTI want Imran Khan to remain in jail.

Commenting on the announcment of the in £190m case verdict, he warned the PTI against filing a high court appeal, predicting it would end in disappointment.

Speaking to a private TV channel, Vawda criticised the handling of corruption cases during the PTI government.

“When the cabinet was presented with this disastrous order, I said it would end in jail time. This was always a straightforward, open-and-shut case,” he said.

Vawda also accused PTI leaders of mishandling a settlement with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), saying, “A loss of Rs100 billion was inflicted upon the country. Evidence of corruption is clear.”

The senator did not spare Imran Khan either, alleging his political and personal changes since 2018 led to the party’s downfall. “Before 2018, Imran Khan was honest. However, his new marriage brought chaos, corruption, and infighting,” Vawda claimed.

He also criticised the shifting stance on Pakistan’s military. “Yesterday, the army was being praised; today, it’s being criticised. This inconsistency is damaging,” he added.

Predicting further turmoil, Vawda remarked that ongoing talks and political strategies would bring little relief to PTI. “Come January 20, the so-called 'Trump card' will lose its effect, and despair will grow,” he said.

Highlighting internal dissent, Vawda claimed several ministers from Khan’s tenure have testified against him under conditions of anonymity. “Their press conferences today hide the truth of their earlier betrayals,” he alleged.

Vawda concluded by emphasising that Imran Khan faces more legal challenges, adding, “The hard times have only begun, and they will persist.”

Imran, Bushra convicted in £190m case; sentenced to 14 and 7 years respectively

Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were convicted on Friday in the £190 million case. Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi received a seven-year jail term.

Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the order in a courtroom inside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where Imran had been detained for over one year.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court imposed fines of Rs1 million on Imran and Rs500,000 on Bushra. If the fines are not paid, Imran Khan will serve an additional six months in prison, and Bushra Bibi will face an extra three months.

The verdict also declared that the property of the "sham trust," Al-Qadir University Project Trust, is to be forfeited to the Federal Government in accordance with Section 10(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

The verdict was announced amid tight security outside jail. Following the verdict, Bushra Bibi was immediately arrested in the courtroom.

It is to be noted that judge Rana had reserved his verdict in the case on December 18 while adjourning the case till December 23. However, on December 23, the court deferred announcing the order without giving any reasons.

On January 6, the next date of hearing, the verdict was once again not unveiled as the judge was attending a training session organized for all the district and session judges.

Ahead of the last hearing of the case, the court staff informed counsels for Imran and Bushra that the judge was going to announce the verdict on January 13 but on that day, the court once again deferred announcing its verdict after Imran Khan and his wife failed to show up in the court.