A recent significant development in Pakistan’s complex political landscape has seen a court sentence over 100 members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to prison. These convictions stem from their alleged participation in the widespread civil unrest that followed Khan’s arrest in 2023, marking a critical juncture in the nation’s ongoing political struggles.
Among those incarcerated are 108 individuals, including two prominent PTI leaders and sitting members of Pakistan’s legislature, Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz. This mass sentencing underscores the severity with which the authorities are addressing the fallout from the 2023 protests, and its implications resonate deeply within the country’s political opposition movement.
The PTI leadership has voiced strong condemnation of these judicial actions, describing them as unprecedented and detrimental to democratic norms. Imran Khan’s media adviser, Zulfi Bukhari, warned that such convictions of opposition figures could severely damage Pakistan’s already fragile democracy, highlighting concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the Pakistani justice system.
The current wave of convictions is part of a broader crackdown that has seen 14 PTI lawmakers sentenced this month alone. According to PTI, several of these elected officials have already been compelled to relinquish their parliamentary seats, with more expected to follow, significantly weakening the party’s presence in the legislative body.
The backdrop to these legal proceedings is the volatile period of 2023, when thousands of Imran Khan’s fervent supporters erupted in nationwide protests following his arrest on corruption charges. These demonstrations, which tragically resulted in at least ten fatalities, saw protestors target and damage military properties, deeply enraging Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.
This confrontation between the PTI and the military, which had been in a state of growing discord with Khan, led to an extensive and severe crackdown on the party and its sympathizers. The authorities launched a systematic effort to apprehend and prosecute those involved in the riots, culminating in the recent mass sentencings.
Imran Khan himself remains incarcerated, facing numerous charges, including allegations of inciting the 2023 riots. Despite several cases against him being dropped, he was recently handed another 14-year prison sentence in January 2025, further solidifying his position as a central figure in Pakistan’s political turmoil and ongoing legal battles.
Khan has consistently maintained that his removal as prime minister in April 2022 was the result of a coup orchestrated by the Pakistani military and foreign powers, including the United States, a claim that fuels his supporters’ grievances. The anti-terrorism court, in delivering Thursday’s sentences, asserted that “the prosecution has proved its case against the accused without a shadow of doubt,” upholding the convictions.
