Will Pakistan’s Imran Khan get out of jail after his wife’s release?

Leaders of Khan’s party are optimistic that their iconic boss could soon be set free too, but analysts are less confident.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Hundreds of people gathered outside Bani Gala, the palatial mansion on the outskirts of Islamabad, on Thursday to welcome Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, following her release from jail after nine months.

Bibi, arrested in January, was granted bail on Wednesday in a case concerning the illegal sale of state gifts.

She travelled from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a convoy of cars, with supporters throwing flowers on her vehicle.

Bibi and Khan were initially sentenced in January to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of selling state gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000), received during Khan’s tenure as prime minister, 2018-2022, from the Toshakhana, or state treasury.

The couple was separately also convicted in a case questioning the legality of their marriage, but they were acquitted in July. Shortly after, authorities filed an additional Toshakhana case, this time involving a jewellery set gifted to Bibi by the Saudi crown prince. The National Accountability Bureau has alleged that Khan and Bibi illegally kept the set and later sold it for more than $350,000.

Khan, a former cricketer and philanthropist, remains in jail and has denied all charges against him, accusing the government and the “establishment” of a targeted campaign to keep him imprisoned.

The “establishment” in Pakistan is a euphemism for the country’s powerful security forces, which have ruled directly for nearly 30 years and maintain political influence even under civilian governments.

Bibi’s release comes the same week Pakistan’s parliament passed a