A court hearing the Toshakhana II case has sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to a combined 17 years in prison each, as details of Khan’s reaction at the time of the verdict and the legal strategy going forward emerged on Saturday.

According to defence counsel Salman Safdar, Imran Khan was present in court alongside Bushra Bibi when the verdict was announced and appeared calm, even smiling, as the sentence was read out.

Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail along with Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, Safdar said the former prime minister was “not surprised at all” by the decision, describing it as consistent with what he termed a pattern in recent convictions.

He said Imran Khan had directed his legal team to pursue all available legal options against the ruling. Safdar added that, like the Toshakhana I and cipher cases, the proceedings in Toshakhana II also suffered from “multiple legal flaws”.

The lawyer confirmed that, on the instructions of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, an appeal against the verdict would be filed in the Islamabad High Court. He also alleged that the couple was being kept in “extremely difficult conditions” in jail.

Safdar said the legal team was informed at around 8pm on Friday that the Toshakhana II case would be heard at Adiala Jail at 9.00am the next day. Despite dense fog, motorway closures and adverse weather conditions, he said the team travelled from Lahore to attend the hearing.

He claimed that Imran Khan was particularly taken aback by the fact that the judge announced the verdict in the absence of the accused and their counsel, alleging that instead of completing arguments, the judge arrived with a pre-written 59-page judgment.

Separately, the BBC, citing a jail official, reported that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present in court when the verdict was delivered. According to the official, the judge asked Imran Khan three times to come to the rostrum, but the former prime minister declined.

The official said that during the announcement of the verdict, Imran Khan remained engaged in conversation with Bushra Bibi. After the judge left the courtroom, Khan reportedly asked whether the decision had already been announced. Upon being told that he had been sentenced to 17 years in prison, he smiled.

Meanwhile, following the verdict, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the Toshakhana II ruling was based on justice. Speaking to the media on Saturday, he said implementation of the sentence would begin after completion of the prison term awarded in the £190 million case.

He clarified that the 17-year sentence would commence once the existing 14-year term comes to an end.