Imran Khan arrested again, sentenced to three years in prison

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who served as the country's Prime Minister between 2018 and 2022, has been arrested and sentenced to three years in jail.

A Reuters report said Imran, 70, had been sentenced by a Pakistan trial court for not declaring the proceeds of state gifts to the Election Commission of Pakistan. His political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has already filed an appeal with the country's Supreme Court.

In previous instances, any attempts to arrest Imran from his residence were met with significant resistance from his supporters, foiling at least two arrest attempts. When he was finally arrested on May 9, protests and rioting erupted across the country, leading to a severe crackdown against his party and a bill to try his supporters in military courts, a move that violates international law.

When Imran was arrested in May, he was ordered to be released two days later by the Supreme Court, which declared the arrest illegal.

Since Imran's release was ordered by a judge on May 11, he has been ordered to appear in Pakistan's courts in more than 150 cases registered against him. He has repeatedly said he risks being imprisoned in interviews and broadcasts on his social media channels.

This case, in which a judge declared him guilty for concealing revenue earned from the sale of state gifts from the Election Commission of Pakistan, is locally known as the Toshakhana case. The court has imposed the maximum possible penalty allowed under the law, three years in prison and a fine of PKR 100,000. Imran's lawyers said they have already appealed the verdict. Under the law, the appellate court can suspend the sentence until a verdict on the appeal is reached.

Before entering politics, Imran represented Pakistan in 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan and led them to the World Cup title in 1992.