Toshakhana verdict a 'mockery of law'

RAWALPINDI:

Aleema Khan on Monday denounced the sentencing of her incarcerated brother and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and the latter's spouse Bushra Bibi to 17 years' imprisonment in the Toshakhana case, deploring the verdict as a mockery of law and justice and questioning the selective application of accountability.

Speaking to the media outside the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi alongside her lawyer Faisal Malik, Aleema said that while Imran and Bushra had been handed lengthy prison terms, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had failed to explain a vehicle she allegedly obtained from the Toshakhana.

"What happened to that case?" she asked and said that the law had been reduced to a joke.

She said the case against Imran and his wife was "bogus" and based on the allegation that the value of a necklace had been understated. She questioned how such an allegation could justify a 17-year prison sentence, alleging that such scrutiny had not been applied elsewhere.

Aleema said that the incarcerated ex-premier had called for a peaceful protest on November 22 last year and that she herself had been accused of conveying his message to the public.

She alleged that police officials were being produced as witnesses against PTI leaders and argued that those who gave false testimony should also be punished.