Islamabad [Pakistan], December 21 (ANI): Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on his supporters to prepare for nationwide protests and announced his intention to challenge the verdict against him in the Islamabad High Court after he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II corruption case, Dawn reported.

Khan, who currently does not have access to his social media accounts, conveyed his message through his legal team. According to a post on X recounting a conversation between Khan and his lawyer, the PTI founder instructed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to begin preparations for a mass street movement.

'I have sent a message to [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister] Sohail Afridi to prepare for the street movement. The entire nation will have to rise for its rights,' he said.

Khan stated that the verdict did not surprise him and said he had already directed his legal team to approach the high court against the ruling. 'Like the baseless decisions and sentences of the last three years, the Toshakhana-II decision is also nothing new to me. This decision was given in haste by the judge without any evidence and without fulfilling the legal requirements,' he said, adding that his legal team was 'not even heard'.

He further said that the Insaf Lawyers Forum and the wider legal fraternity must take a leading role in defending constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, stressing that economic progress was impossible without justice, Dawn reported.

In an official statement, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) described the verdict as 'blatantly unconstitutional, illegal, malicious and the worst form of political revenge and a textbook case of victimisation'.

PTI leaders alleged that the conviction was aimed solely at prolonging Khan's imprisonment and easing pressure on what they termed a 'petrified ruling clique'. They claimed that political victimisation was being carried out through a 'subservient' judiciary, undermining the rule of law in the country.

Addressing a press conference alongside senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that Imran Khan met his lead counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, in the courtroom and shared a message for the nation. He quoted Khan as saying, 'I am standing firm and resolute and will not seek an apology from anyone, come what may.'

Raja further alleged that the case relied only on promissory notes and lacked substantive evidence. 'They have no witnesses except the person whom the PTI founder himself brought forward,' he said.

The sentencing of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case has triggered public debate and raised concerns about the credibility of the judicial process.

Speaking to ANI, residents and journalists in Lahore and Peshawar questioned the court's ruling, citing alleged political motivations and lack of evidence. Lahore resident Hamid Riaz Doger said, 'The judiciary has become so weak that the public no longer has any confidence in its rulings. Recently, on May 9th, many people were sentenced. Many of them weren't even present at the scene, yet they were sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the Toshakhana 2 case, the court has sentenced Imran Khan and his wife to 17 years of imprisonment. The truth is, the courts can say whatever they want, and our rulers can say whatever they want, but the public has no confidence in these courts or these sentences.'

The case involves allegations of undervaluing a Bulgari jewellery set worth over PKR 71 million, received from the Saudi Crown Prince. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced under sections related to criminal breach of trust and corruption. A resident of Lahore, Zaki Ullah Mujahid, said that the courts' decision has eroded the public's trust in the justice system.

Another Lahore resident, Zaki Ullah Mujahid, said the verdict had further weakened public faith in democratic institutions. 'I believe this is a spectacle that has eroded public trust in Pakistan's democracy and its institutions. If we want to move our country forward, then every institution and every individual must play their role within the framework of the constitution and the law...The forceful way in which this matter is being pursued is certainly not commendable.' (ANI)