In his second conviction in two days, Imran Khan gets 14 years

Just a day after being sentenced to 10 years in prison, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday in a separate case, dealing another major blow in his bitter feud with the country's powerful military.

The new verdict was handed down eight days before scheduled national elections in which Mr Khan's party is taking part ravaged by ever-increasing repression, came in a case involving state donations. His wife, Bushra Bibi, also received a fourteen-year prison sentence. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

Announcing the verdict at the high-security prison where Mr Khan, 71, was held for months, the judge also said the former prime minister and his wife would be banned from holding office for 10 years.

Mr Khan questioned the fairness and impartiality of the trial during the hearing on Wednesday. He asked the judge: 'Why are you in such a hurry to announce the verdict? I didn't even record my final statement.” Mr. Khan then left the courtroom and the judge announced the verdict in his absence.

His lawyers said they would appeal the verdict. They have also said they will appeal the 10-year prison sentence Mr Khan received on Tuesday in a case involving state secrets.

“These things are not processes; this is a drama,” Syed Ali Zafar, a senior legal assistant to Mr Khan, told reporters. “The Constitution and the law have been violated; There is no doubt that this sentence will soon be suspended.”

But analysts said Mr Khan's fate was less a legal than a political issue, following a well-known pattern in which popular politicians in Pakistan have been excluded from politics after falling out with the military establishment. Top generals have long run the country's politics behind the scenes.

In 2017, Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister who has also clashed with the military in the past, was removed from office after the Supreme Court ruled that corruption charges had disqualified him.

Mr Sharif appears to have now been rehabilitated by the military after his previous sentences were overturned and he was allowed to return to Pakistan from exile. He is now running an election campaign in the hope of becoming prime minister for the fourth time.

His rival, Mr Khan, a former world-famous cricketer, was removed from power in April 2022 after a parliamentary vote of distrust, which arose shortly after a rift between him and the army's high command.

Since then, he has led a vigorous political campaign, defiantly taking on the generals and causing a wave of discontent and anger among much of society. His popularity among citizens remains high, despite attempts to sideline him.

Still, analysts said Khan's legal troubles had significantly reduced the chances of success for his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), at the February 8 polls.

“These convictions will certainly hit the morale of Mr. Khan's party workers,” said Sabir Shah, a political analyst in the eastern city of Lahore.