Imran Khan vows jail over submission, compares rivals to Yahya Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Threek-e-Insaf founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has said that he and his workers would prefer to be in jail rather than accepting the dictatorship of “Yahya Khan Part 2”.

“Let me reiterate that our party workers, including myself, would prefer being in jail over accepting the dictatorship of Yahya Khan Part 2. I will not compromise on the struggle for our genuine freedom, no matter how much pressure is exerted on me,” Khan was quoted as saying on his X account.

“The Hamoodur Rahman Commission report states clearly that Yahya Khan split the country in two to save his own hold on power. Even today, Yahya Khan Part 2 is playing the same game.”

Earlier, Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years and fined Rs1 million in the Al-Qadir Trust case, while his spouse Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in jail with a fine of Rs500,000. The verdict for the case, also known as the 190-million-pound case was announced on Friday.

Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the verdict. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present in the courtroom.

Imran Khan’s lawyers Salman Safdar, Salman Akram Raja and others including PTI Chairman Barrister Ali Gohar and Shoaib Shaeen were also present in the courtroom. A three-member NAB’s prosecution team was also present as the verdict was announced.

The court also ordered that the Al-Qadir University be handed over to the state.

The previous hearing was adjourned without the unveiling of the verdict after the judge expressed dismay over the no-show of the accused, which led to the postponement of the judgement till January 17.

Imran Khan was taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on November 13, 2023, in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. Both he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were interrogated for 17 days at Adiala jail.